Credits: Social Media
The real reason why all doors in Antarctica have holes makes a lot of sense
When a TikTok user posted a video of holes at the bottom of every door in Antarctica, people were quick to assume they were meant for pet mice to go through, but that isn’t the actual reason.
The person behind the viral video, Matthew Jordan, serves as a Project Manager at Antarctica New Zealand, and all of his social media channels are dedicated to unknown and interesting facts about the snowy region, including the actual reason why the doors there have holes.
Why do all doors in Antarctica have holes?
As opposed to a lot of funny guesses about mysterious holes at the bottom of doors in Antarctica, the opening is meant for the hose to go through in case of a fire incident.
Although, they are called “mouse holes”, their actual purpose has nothing to do with the name given to them. The doors in the region close automatically when a fire or smoke is detected in the building. In such instances, the holes are used to allow the fire hose.
The TikTok user explained: “We have a number of fire hydrants around the station that we go to in the event we have to respond to an incident. When the fire alarm activates, the magnetic door latches release automatically and close out fire and smoke stop doors.”
“When responding, our fully trained crew will grab the hose and the branch and react accordingly. The holes allow the doors to close but prevent smoke from moving from one side to the other,” he further explained.
Users really believed they were meant for pet mice
Owing to the name given to the holes in the doors and their placement, users actually believed they were meant for pet mice to commute from one part of the building to another.
The video has also attracted many other funny reactions.
“It’s a doorway for Stuart Little,” joked one.
Adding to the above comment, another user wrote: “What? Does Tom and Jerry live there?”
One comment read: “My first thought was that it was a leftover from the mini-golf tournament a few weeks ago. LOL!”
A fourth user wrote: “I thought that was for pet mice. Lol.”
Project Manager shows off more interesting facts
With over six years of experience in Antarctica Construction and Project Management, Matthew uses his social media accounts to offer insights into life in the snowy region.
Thanks to highly intriguing videos on his profiles, he has gathered more than 589,000 followers on Instagram and close to 700,000 followers on TikTok.
One video that explains the real reason there are boot brushes, a shovel, and brooms outside every door in Antarctica is among his most-watched TikToks, having clocked over 13.5 million views.
The video from the Things in Antarctica that Just Make Sense series explains that the brushes are for cleaning snow off your feet before walking inside. The broom and shovel, on the other hand, are to keep the exits clear.
Matthew’s account will definitely help you expand your knowledge about the region and things that are done differently to survive in Antarctica.
