Who couldn’t see this coming?
With the Colonial Pipeline hacked the majority of last week, disrupting the fuel supply to much of the eastern United States, some people decided hoarding gasoline in any way they can imagine was a good idea. Pictures of people filling up giant Tupperware containers and even plastic grocery bags with gasoline have circulated online, causing anyone who knows literally anything about gas to cringe. Well, the inevitable has happened in at least two cases and we fear more will be coming.
Check out the gruesome aftermath of a car crashing into a garage with several classic cars inside here.
Easily the more dramatic out of the two situations happened in Pickens, South Carolina. According to a statement released by the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy spotted a 2007 Pontiac G6 with a South Carolina license plate which had been reported as stolen. The deputy turned on his lights and tried stopping the Pontiac, but the other driver decided to make a run for it instead.
It didn’t take long for the G6 driver to lose control of the car, probably in part because of the several containers of gasoline stored in the trunk. The Pontiac drove off the road and flipped, then caught on fire. As the deputy approached, he reported hearing several explosions inside the Pontiac.
Thankfully, the driver was able to get out, but she was on fire. After extinguishing the flames on the driver, the deputy called for help. Before the G6 driver was taken to the hospital, she told deputies she had been hoarding gasoline in her trunk, which made the crash so violent.
The second case was out of Homosassa, Florida. In the morning of May 13, Citrus County Fire Rescue responded to a vehicle fire at a gas station. Reportedly, the owner of a 2004 HummerH2 had completed filling four 5-gallon gas cans, which then ignited in the back of the SUV.
Owning something which notoriously gets horrendous fuel economy, it’s likely the owner was concerned about not being able to get around until the supply flow was normalized. However, that plan backfired in a big way. We’re willing to bet she wasn’t using actual gas cans, but that information hasn’t been released yet.
We’re unsure if the person was filling the gas cans while they were in the vehicle or if they filled them up on the ground, which is how you’re supposed to fill any fuel container. An investigation into the fire is ongoing while authorities had to clean up the spilled fuel. As you can see from the photos, the Hummer H2 is pretty much cooked to a crisp, so it’s likely headed to a salvage yard. One person was injured but refused to be taken to the hospital.
Like we said, this likely isn’t the last time we’ll hear of car fires caused by gasoline hoarding. While enthusiasts might be familiar with using gas cans, the concept seems to be more difficult for the general public to grasp entirely, leading to fires. Thankfully, nobody died in either incident, and we hope that continues to be the case.
Sources: Fox Carolina, WABI
