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Some IT support calls involve a loose cable. Others involve driving an hour across town only to discover the computer in question no longer technically qualifies as a computer.

One tech at a small PC shop got hit with the second scenario after a vague call came in from a steel mill client, reporting only that a workstation “no longer works” and “cannot be seen on the network,” with zero further explanation offered.

Packing a bag of spare parts and hoping for something simple, he arrived on-site expecting a routine fix.

What greeted him instead was a scorched office wall and a pile of melted metal and plastic sitting where a functioning PC used to be.

The explanation that followed involved a blowtorch, a wall, and someone who apparently never thought to check what was on the other side of it.

Keep reading for the full story.

The workstation that doesn’t work

Decades ago, I worked as the tech monkey at a PC shop, and one of our clients (by virtue of my boss having a myriad of strategically placed cousins) was a large steel mill.

Normally they’d just order complete PCs or various bits of networking gear from us, and they usually had enough competence to manage their own affairs.

But on this shift, things played out differently.

One day was a bit different. We’d received a phone call that one of their workstations was no longer working, but the details were extremely vague.

The caller couldn’t explain what the fault detail was, just that the workstation no longer works and that it cannot be seen on the network. They wanted someone (i.e. me) to go on site and fix the issue.

This isn’t exactly how this employee wanted to spend their day, but he didn’t have much choice.

I was the sole tech person at the store at the time, and the client was located on the other side of the city, so it was an hour’s drive away. Frustrating, but they were an important customer and so I had to go.

I packed an assortment of tools and spare parts as I could only speculate what the problem was. I was hoping it was something as simple as a disconnected coaxial network cable, but usually they were competent enough to resolve such issues themselves.

Unfortunately, once he arrived, he quickly understood the problem at hand.

So, I arrive onsite, start asking questions about where the workstation was, and I am directed to a grimy, crusty office within one of the smelting factories.

There’s a metal bench against the wall and there’s a pile of… well, I guess metal, melted plastic, and other unidentifiable molten bits sitting on the bench. The wall behind this has serious burn marks.

Well, now I know why the workstation no longer works. It’s now a pile of slag. But how the heck did this happen? Did the computer spontaneously burst into flames?

The employee digs deeper into the issue.

I ask some more questions and finally get the answer. For reasons that weren’t made clear to me, somebody on the other side of that office wall decided that cutting through the wall with a blow torch was the order of the day.

Apparently, they had assumed the office was vacant and empty and didn’t count on a PC sitting on the bench. So, the PC went up in flames.

I have no clue if they cut through power cables or anything else important, but the wall was quite toasty.

Needless to say, the other employees were quite happy to receive his help.

They were happy for me to replace the workstation with a new one, but they were being all vague and cagey about it because they didn’t want their managers to find out what had actually happened.

They just wanted me to write up the workstation as dead and not worth fixing, and as it was out of warranty, they were fine with ordering a new replacement.

I guess enough money changed hands as my boss was fine with me withholding certain details from the report that I had to fill out.

It’s always something when you work in IT.

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This commenter tends to think that when someone doesn’t share all the information, it usually means they’re hiding something.

This commenter lightens the mood with a joke.

This commenter points out that this incident should have never been allowed to happen.

Getting called out for a vague “network issue” and discovering the actual problem is a blowtorched computer is the kind of story that only gets better with age.

Nobody thought to check the other side of a wall before cutting straight through it with an open flame, which is either an impressive lapse in judgment or just a very normal day at a steel mill, hard to say which.

Either way, “no longer works” was a massive understatement.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.