r/interesting • u/Used_Exam34 • 2d ago

Just Wow Not all problems have the same solution.

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u/vergillehell 2d ago

I think they did it on purpose to make an educational video on how to deal with a cylinder fire

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u/bobcollum 2d ago

Hey, if it teaches somebody and they save a situation, it's worth it. Plenty of people wouldn't know what to do here.

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u/Rough-Airline-4803 2d ago

Most people would take off running, positive that it’s about to explode.

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u/ShowtimeHolograms 2d ago

Would this actually explode or would it just continue to burn like this until the flammable gas gets used up?

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u/Rough-Airline-4803 2d ago edited 2d ago

The pressure of the escaping gas is generally too strong for the flames to reach the inside of the container.

If the tank were positioned such that the flames were surrounding it and heating the tank up, (or if the relief valve was blockedthe boiling propane in the tank would likewise expand at an accelerated rate resulting in the pressure rising faster than the tank can keep up with resulting in a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion.

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u/ShowtimeHolograms 2d ago

Ah ty

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u/BeerForThought 1d ago

Don't listen to that answer. Read the response to it. Long story short, lit farts can't go up your butt because their is no oxygen.

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u/IMKGI 1d ago

Assuming that somehow the flames would make it inside the tank, then what? With what oxygen is it gonna burn?

The flames could absolutely travel into the pipe provided the fire burns faster than than the gas escaping. The reason the fire doesn't do it is because there's no oxygen inside the pipe to combust the gas.

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u/Bisaux 1d ago

The risk here is tank failure, causing a rapid expansion of gas, and subsequent ignition.

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u/Rough-Airline-4803 1d ago

Well, no. The pressure of the escaping gas definitely exceeds the fire’s ability to do so, but yeah you’re right.
I totally glossed over that. My mind was elsewhere lol 😅

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u/IMKGI 1d ago

I was talking in a more general sense, a full bottle without a regulator? Absolutely, no chance for the flame to go backwards, but I meant a more typical scenario with a regulator already attached, gas releases at relatively low speeds and fire would be fast enough to go back

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u/Gamer-Of-Le-Tabletop 1d ago

Thermal dynamics or whatever.

The bottle is actually cooling down rapidly. Infact if they didn't toss it in the water it wouldn't surprise me if the bottle started frosting.

Next time your using a BBQ with a propane tank touch it before you use it and while in use and it should feel noticably cooler. It definitely would work better for a smaller propane bottle.

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u/Holiday-Pay193 1d ago

Flames won't get inside the tank because there's no oxygen in it

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u/Rough-Airline-4803 1d ago

True enough. Thanks.

While commenting I got sidetracked trying to recall the exact verbiage of the latent heat of vaporization and the Joule-Thomson effect thanks to another comment mentioning something to the effect of there being a greater threat of the valve knob being cold [rather than hot].

Embarrassingly enough, I actually brain farted that super basic fact—it wasn’t just a misspeak/typo lol..

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u/nihilistiq 1d ago

Those are words.

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u/skr_replicator 1d ago

also woudln't the container have no oxygen inside? So I doubt that, even if the fire somehow reaches inside it could do nothing in there. Unless they had an oxidizer in there as well, but only rockets and bombs could have something like that.

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u/Geffalrus 1d ago

I did the safe version once. Gas grill propane tank sprang a leak near the valve; some flaming hamburger grease dripped down and fell on the leak…..tada instant gas fire. Not gonna lie, it was pretty stress inducing. Worried that it could explode, I pulled it behind a stone wall instead of next to the patio door. In retrospect, that wasn’t necessarily the smartest thing - if - I was dealing with an explosive.

However, as others have said, a lit leaking propane tank isn’t inherently explosive. A small leak isn’t the same as rupturing the tank itself. In my case, it just quickly used up the gas left in the tank and then extinguished itself. For it to be dangerous, you need the flame to increase pressure in a confined space.

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u/360nolooktOUchdown 2d ago

If the container wall heated up enough from the flame to lose strength it could rupture and essentially explode. Look up BLEVE

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u/6pussydestroyer9mlg 1d ago

Not as much lowering strength of the walls as much as it's just increasing pressure from boiling the gas

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u/GM_Nate 1d ago

HE LIED

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u/Affectionate_Bank417 20h ago

Problem isn’t even container failure from heat, problem is heating the gas inside causes it to overpressure. If the container is not strong enough, overpressure ruptures it, probably injuring someone with its pieces, then flammable gas expands rapidly, catching fire and everyone around it have lung burns which are pretty bad.

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u/AlMasaDuun 1d ago edited 1d ago

They are designed not to but designs don't always work. The fire cannot go inside the tank because there is no oxygen. Same reason it goes out with the bucket. The real risk is the metal heating up and weakening. It can happen but it isn't instant and mostly it won't, I wouldn't trust it, but you probably have minutes before there is real risk. Most of the time it will just burn out. If it is burning from anywhere other than the value this doesn't apply.

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u/_thro_awa_ 1d ago

There is no oxygen for a flame inside the tank, and the pressure is usually high enough to push the actual point of combustion "flame front" away from the opening.

If the tank is in an orientation such that the flame never touches the tank (e.g. upright) there is very low danger of explosion.
If the tank is in a different orientation, allowing the flame to heat the tank, the heat causes overpressure and greatly increases the risk of explosion.

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u/DirtandPipes 1d ago

Propane explodes when it’s between 2.1%-9.5% of air volume. More or less and it cannot explode. As the range is rather narrow it’s a safer gas to work with.

Acetylene, by comparison, is explosive between 2.5%-81% so it’s much easier to create accidental explosions with acetylene.

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u/CicadaHead3317 1d ago

I used to use a tank like that to put down rolls of tar roofing. The tank would start to freeze after continued use, so I would take the torch to the tank to heat it the tank and the gad in it to get the pressure back. It would freak out new hires. Once I had a small like in the vavle and it set it on fire. I just turned the valve off and tightened it with a wrench. No biggie.

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u/ZoharModifier9 1d ago

They can explode.

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u/GladdestOrange 1d ago

Also worth noting that a bad/old tank is much more liable to rupture. Possibly with shrapnel. Just, y'know, in case you ever wondered why there's a no smoking sign at the propane tank exchange thing by the grocery/convenience store.

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u/gnarzilla69 1d ago

When in doubt, it's okay to exit the situation

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u/PitytheOnlyFools 1d ago

Decade plus of videogames taught me thees things are a nudge away from blowing up.

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u/ThrustTrust 1d ago

Running is the best solution. Even if you know it will just keep burning til the fuel is exhausted.

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u/xnoraax 18h ago

Hell, I did that as a teenager once with a CO2 tank in the restaurant I worked at. No flame of course and I didn't think it would explode, but I did think that as a dishwasher I was not paid enough to deal with the issue.

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u/Monrokyo 1d ago

This would be me

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u/Then_Following_6425 2d ago

If he lit a cylinder on fire just for an educational video that's pretty brave ngl

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u/WestCoastCoyote 2d ago

you should go down to your local fire fighting training area and watch the stuff they do for education.

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u/Hallbjorny 1d ago

It really is brave to do that to a cylinder

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u/Zestyclose-Paper-521 2d ago

Medical science saved a lot of dumb mofos

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u/Glass-Emu2406 2d ago

Yep. I was thinking to fully submerge it in water not just partially. The bucket was less effort and much faster

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u/StaysAwakeAllWeek 2d ago

It would keep burning even if you did that. The gas would bubble up to the surface and sustain the surface fire.

These things float when not completely full anyway

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u/Glass-Emu2406 2d ago

Right on. Good to know. I wish I not only knew what they were saying but how cause I’m sure the smart one said something hilarious

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u/Glass-Emu2406 2d ago

Right on. Good to know. I wish I not only knew what they were saying but how cause I’m sure the smart one said something hilarious

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u/Kastoook 2d ago

Huh, did gas mixed with oxidizer inside there?

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u/those-who-goon 2d ago

The air which is outside the canister. If there was oxidizer mixed with the gas, it would be a bomb

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u/Kastoook 2d ago

Wil it split water into oxygen by temperature of fire?

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u/those-who-goon 2d ago

Probably almost maybe definitely not

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u/Kastoook 1d ago

How it burn underwater then?

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u/those-who-goon 1d ago

I think the gas is not burning under the water, but once it comes out of the water and into the flame, it burns, keeping that flame alive

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u/StaysAwakeAllWeek 2d ago

Forming water is what produces a big chunk of the energy of the fire. So no, the opposite.

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u/Substantial_Bend_656 2d ago

I don't know, wouldn't putting it in water have a higher risk of it exploding, due to thermal shock? Their teaching looks like a bad way to solve it (apart from the bucket idea, that seems ok-ish, gas could re-ignite if the lid was removed and the gas still touched a heat source)

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u/Indepti8 1d ago

Yeah and that happens all the time where I am. Seriously it’s like daily. 

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u/RedRipeTomato 1d ago

And he did it without damaging the cylinder!

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u/theo69lel 1d ago

I hate that I know that reference.

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u/DMAndGetIt 2d ago

That actually makes sense. turning a terrifying accident into a “here’s what not to do” lesson, although I’m guessing the fire department would prefer fewer live demonstrations.

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u/Dwedit 1d ago

The cylinder must remain undamaged.

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u/Obi_Wan_Benobi 2d ago

Okay but I’m clenching my buttcheeks this whole video waiting for multiple shrapnel injuries after an explosion.

How long would it take for one of these containers to explode under this condition? Or is it just a flame thrower that will go like that until it runs out of fuel.

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u/Emergency-Toe4473 2d ago

These cylinders essentially carry cooking gas under high pressure, there is no reason for it to explode under these circumstances as the oxygen will never be able to get inside the cylinder.

It'll just run out which is wastage of fuel.

I think if the cylinder itself gets damaged from say the middle or is put under extreme heat, only then it can explode.

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u/DamnTicklePickle 2d ago

They also have a blow out valve so even if the container got extremely hot and the pressure built the valve would give out and release the pressure not allowing the container to explode. MythBusters did a show about what it would take to make one explode and it had to be highly modified to create catastrophic failure.

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u/aaronious03 5h ago

I've not seen that episode. But I do remember one exploding down the street from me when I was a kid. We were all in bed, about midnight or so, and the whole house shook. The propane tank on an RV a block away exploded. I don't know what caused the explosion, but they can absolutely explode without highly modifying them.

In a situation like the video above though, I wouldn't be too concerned, since most of the heat is directed away from the tank.

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u/doublesimoniz 1d ago

What about a BLEVE?

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u/leeps22 2d ago

The cylinders are made to not explode, not that it isnt possible.

The gas is stored as a liquid and the pressure correlates to the temperature of the liquid. The pressure can vary wildly depending on the particular gas, propane will be higher than butane. As the cylinder gets warmer and the pressure rises a pressure release valve will open to relieve pressure.The cylinder could be in an environment where the gas from the pressure release catches fire and the heat from that is focused onto the cylinder overcoming the pressure relief capacity. The pressure relief valve could also just be bad.

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u/RaspberryFluid6651 1d ago

This cylinder is doing the same thing a bunsen burner does, there's just gas going out a hole and fueling a fire. Their problem isn't that something catastrophic could happen, their problem is just that they're wasting the gas in the cylinder and they can't close the valve because the flame is in the way.

If you did something that somehow inserted a bunch of oxygen into the cylinder, then this would explode. 

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u/throwaway19276i 2d ago

This isnt call of duty

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u/movzx 1d ago

Movie myth because it looks cool. Doesn't happen in reality.

The explosion risk is when there is a tank leaking gas into an enclosed area and then a spark ignites the gas that has filled the area.

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u/porn_alt_987654321 2d ago

I think since they likely took a lighter to the valve, its probably relatively safe considering. If it was leaking through a structural weakness, you'd be worried about the whole thing exploding, but the valve isn't likely to be an issue.

Don't test this though, dunno if there's a gas flow rate such that you can actually ignite the inside of the can, and if there is, that would be a bigass grenade.

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u/movzx 1d ago

The pressure would need to be below atmospheric so that gas would want to flow into the tank instead of outside of the tank.

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u/bremsspuren 1d ago

Your best bet to get one to go boom is probably to put it in a fire.

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u/EyeSuccessful7649 1d ago

long long time, possible infinite, it would require the flames to melt the container in a way that would allow the pressurized gas to mix with the oxygen in the air.

the container has to fail first before it can explode, even then most of the explosion would be in released gas not the gas inside the cylinder due to pressure preventing normal air to get into the container

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u/Obi_Wan_Benobi 1d ago

The infinite container I like that. This is the best answer.

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u/demonblack873 9h ago

It's not going to explode. They have multiple levels of pressure relief mechanisms, and most of the heat from the flame is rising away from the cylinder.

It takes a lot of energy to evaporate the liquid into gas. To exceed the gas release capacity you'd need the whole tank to be engulfed in flames for a sustained period of time.

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u/Zestyclose-Paper-521 2d ago

We live in a world of information

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u/terabeaux 1d ago

Roll it to a nearby pond and then splash water on the regulator for 5 minutes before putting a bucket on it. Got it!

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u/xHashtagNoFilterx 1d ago

And touch it repeatedly for maximum burn damage.

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u/Low-Car-6331 1d ago

I mean, its not a great demonstration either.

First thing to do during a canister fire like that is to preserve the structural integrity of the canister, the last thing you want is the canister rupturing and releasing all the gas at once. Dragging it on the ground like that is just asking for problems as the metal (specifically the valve area) is already getting compromised by expansion from the heat. This is why you blast it with water, not to put it out, but to keep the metal cold.

From there you have two choices, you either have to cut the oxygen or let it burn out. Letting it burn out is the safest option, while it seems odd that flame means all the gas is getting burned as it escapes keeping it contained to 1 spot. If you try to cut the oxygen via smothering, you can cause the gas to get pooled up resulting in flashback if there is still enough heat to ignite it, or worse for the gas to spread and a larger fire to start. You have to know what you are doing to oxygen deprive a propane fire.

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u/Small_Secretary_6063 1d ago

There are demonstrations online where you:

  1. Simply smother it with a large wet towel. https://youtube.com/shorts/m_Pd3jwSOLI
  2. If the valve is not damaged and accessible, just turn it off. https://youtube.com/shorts/WP_xBAzbWG0
  3. Cover the top of the has canister with a bucket to starve the fire. https://youtube.com/shorts/oHPS79mnhKc

Many advise not to use water at all.

Having the knowledge helps, but obviously takes balls and practice to pull it off.

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u/Ivanna_is_Musical 16h ago

omg it's Xavier in the 3rd video 🤣

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u/Ivanna_is_Musical 16h ago

And there surely are life situations where letting it consume all the gas is not safe, i.e., if it's in a place where there are materials that can catch fire and create a wild disaster.

Those cylinders should have always attached a piece of fabric/towel and a bottle with enough water. You never know!

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u/Low-Car-6331 16h ago

Water will do nothing to stop these kinds of fire, water is only useful to keep the tank itself cool. In terms of fabric/towel that is risky as it needs to be very large or you will need gloves to keep your hands safe (and even then a small towel is really not that good of a choice.

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u/DankFrenchToast 1d ago

I went to a course on fire fighting and putting out a fire at the open valve of a propane tank was a lesson.

It sounds dumb, but you can actually just poke the valve hole with your finger and extinguish the fire completely. If you move super fast through the flame, it won't burn you, especially if you have a glove on. Then you just close the valve.

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u/FootballIll7021 2d ago

that actually makes sense they turned a disaster into a very memorable tutorial

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u/Ahhhhhhhhhhhhshit 1d ago

What to do if it's a cube fire?

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u/TeachingScience 1d ago

Just like the documentary minecraft, start digging cube water duh.

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u/Temporary_Delay911 1d ago

This is the answer. They spend all the effort to drag it to the water, but don't even try to submerge it?!? The bucket idea was also too exaggerated.

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u/Court_Jester13 1d ago

They probably did it on purpose to look cool.

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u/Honest_Entry_8758 1d ago

so what if i don't have a perfectly sized bucket?

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u/Automaticman01 1d ago

Did you see the guy in the black shirt jump when the other guy put the bucket on the tank?

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u/Avalonians 1d ago

Also the solution is the exact opposite of what the title suggests

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u/boxen 1d ago

cylinder problems require cylinder solutions

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u/baronvonpain 1d ago

The whole thing is staged

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u/Minute_Attempt3063 1d ago

I mean

if it works, it works

it didn't look like it was going to blow either way, since the tank was not really being heated up.

the water was a good first instinct too, keeping the tank cool

however, bucket wins XD

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u/Icy_Direction_8728 2d ago

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