What or who is starting all those fires in New Orleans?

[RagingInMiami]

I keep reading and seeing photos of fires, but nothing that says what is causing them.

[Bluebear]

1. I hear tell gas mains are ruptured and burning right through the water!

[donheld]

2. I'm guessing broken gas lines

how many fires in a city that size would normally occur? Is this higher than normal or not. With no city services they surely get out of control.

[Tyranny_R_US]

3. The same people who set brush fires?

*hint* *hint*

[tocqueville]

4. when power is restored it hits damaged infrastructure

with shortcuts as a a result, exposing damaged wires etc...

[Tinoire]

5. Here you go- oil, gas leaks, chemicals just to start

TROUBLED WATER
E. coli reported in New Orleans

Official: 'Unhealthy to be anywhere near the water'

Washington plans investigations of hurricane relief efforts
Tuesday, September 6, 2005; Posted: 5:49 p.m. EDT (21:49 GMT)
===

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Many residents are refusing to leave New Orleans despite a mandatory evacuation and warnings from government officials that staying in the flooded city represents a health risk.

The standing water in New Orleans, left behind after Hurricane Katrina blasted through the region more than a week ago, is contaminated by E. coli bacteria, a highly placed official in the New Orleans mayor's office told CNN on Tuesday.

"It's absolutely unhealthy to be anywhere near the water," said the official, who declined to be identified.

(snip)

(Mayor Nagin) "That said, I want to emphasize that I would like everyone to get out because it's a health risk," he said. "It is not safe. Mosquitoes that are biting dead people are starting to fly."

The toxic nature of the water is evident from the smell of garbage, human waste and rotting corpses, and the slick sheen of oil, gasoline and other chemicals on the surface.

(snip)

"But we have a very volatile situation. There's lots of oil on the water, gas leaks where it's bubbling up, and there's fire on top. If those two unite, God bless us."

(snip)

Nagin said most of the survivors that rescuers are finding now are elderly and in desperate need of emergency medical care. CNN correspondents said many people they've encountered on the streets have pinkeye and other noticeable disease symptoms.

(snip)

((meanwhile down at the Eastern Ranch... ))

Bush, Congress plan investigations
President Bush met with his Cabinet on Tuesday to discuss the relief efforts and said that he was sending Vice President Dick Cheney to the region to monitor the progress. Bush said that he would lead an investigation "to find out what went right and what went wrong." (Full story)

Congress also plans a probe.

(snip)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/06/katrina.impact/index.html

[The Magistrate]

8. Indeed, Ma'am

One of the nightmare scenarios in this, which fortubately has not materialed, is precisely the ignition of oil and gasoline on the surface of the water.

[jmatthan]

6. Randi Rhodes said yesterday

that the plan was to raise New Oreans to the ground by BURNING it down!!

[snot]

7. Yeah gas ok but doesn't there need to be a spark, too? From where? nt

[NYC]

9. Nagin was reporting days ago

that the gas was leaking underwater, and flames would shoot up out of the water because of it. I have no idea what the sparks were, but apparently they existed.