More exclusive photos from AT&T's equipment cabinet meltdown in Houston

Phil Harvey, Editor-in-Chief

August 10, 2007

While AT&T continues looking into the cause of its Houston equipment incident, Light Reading has obtained exclusive photos of the telco cabinet wreckage before the charred equipment was removed from its concrete pedestal and taken back to AT&T for investigation. (See AT&T Eyes Batteries in Explosion Probe.)

These photos, obtained by sources close to the investigation, give a clearer view of just how powerful the initial blast was -- and how hot the fire burned as it incinerated the equipment.

1444.jpg— Phil Harvey, Managing Editor, Light Reading

What's Missing From This Picture?1444.jpgHere's a photo we originally ran last year. The next photo shows
what was cleaned up before our photographer arrived.The Remains of the Day1445.jpgWhat you see here are the remains of an Alcatel FTTN equipment cabinet,
the kind AT&T typically deploys to deliver its U-verse service.What's Missing, Part II1446.jpgHere's our original photo, showing the charred concrete pedestal, where the equipment once stood.DSLAM Destroyed1447.jpgHere's the mess that was carted off shortly after the fire was put out.A Closer Look1448.jpgAnother closeup shows the metal cabinet didn't stand a chance against
the force of the explosion and the heat of the fire that consumed it.Greenfield = Brown Grass102235_15.jpgFrom our archives, here's what an Alcatel 7330 FTTN cabinet looks like when it's not all blow'd up.Assault & Battery1450.jpgBack to the Houston DSLAM cabinet, here's a close look at the battery compartment. And You Thought Beige Cabinets Were Ugly1451.jpgAnother view of the charred mess from October 2006.Fans1453.jpgGreat for cooling. Not so much for fire extinguishing.What's Missing, Part III1454.jpgHere's the original view of the damaged house we first published in November 2006.Twisted1455.jpgHere's the metal wreck that was removed before we had a chance to see the explosion scene firsthand.More Ugliness1456.jpgAnother view of the burnt equipment cabinet -- the one that AT&T is picking apart in its labs.Fencing, Part I1457.jpgHere's the view of the repaired fence we showed you back in November 2006.Fencing, Part II1458.jpgHere's what AT&T saw as it rolled up to the scene of the explosion. Imagine if that hunk of fence
had been some old cougar weeding her garden. Would have left a mark, no?Fencing, Part III1459.jpgAnother view of the fence, this one gives a sense of how far away
the shrapnel had to fly in order to bust through the gate.Clean Up, Aisle 82001460.jpgLooks like your DSLAM just threw up.Side View, Part I1461.jpgHere's the side view we first showed, with burn marks on the power pedestal.Side View, Part II1462.jpgHere's what our initial report missed -- quite a lot actually.
Gives new meaning to the phrase, "Blowing the doors off expectations."

About the Author(s)

Phil Harvey

Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading

Phil Harvey has been a Light Reading writer and editor for more than 18 years combined. He began his second tour as the site's chief editor in April 2020.

His interest in speed and scale means he often covers optical networking and the foundational technologies powering the modern Internet.

Harvey covered networking, Internet infrastructure and dot-com mania in the late 90s for Silicon Valley magazines like UPSIDE and Red Herring before joining Light Reading (for the first time) in late 2000.

After moving to the Republic of Texas, Harvey spent eight years as a contributing tech writer for D CEO magazine, producing columns about tech advances in everything from supercomputing to cellphone recycling.

Harvey is an avid photographer and camera collector – if you accept that compulsive shopping and "collecting" are the same.

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