Indeed, can't think of it as anything other than irresponsible, bordering on downright dangerous.
Hacking software is one thing, but when that goes wrong it just leaves crashed servers, unresponsive web apps and 404/500 errors.
And, before someone mentinos it, hauling diesel up stairs to keep a hospital generator going (as mentioned in another story) is a whole different situation. Patients are a bit more important than a bunch of servers. But you'd still evacuate all non-essential staff and patients if you were doing that given that it presents a significant danger if something were to go wrong; especially with the emergency services already dealing with a huge workload.
Exactly. You can't light diesel on fire with just a match. You need more heat or pressure. However, the burn from gasoline or diesel on your body is intense. I was once filling an old junker with gas when it spurted out from that tank and all over me. At first it was funny and felt nice and cold on the body. Then the burning sensation started and it took a solid 25 minutes in a cold shower to calm the sting.
Ignition isn't the only risk. Diesel causes severe skin irritation. I'm not sure about the effects of inhaling fumes from split uncombusted diesel, but it can't be good for a person's lungs.
So one guy slips and there's five gallons of diesel covering what I assume is the escape route of a NYC high rise?