Why You Shouldn’t Strike a Lighter While Filling Your Gas Tank [VIDEO]

Since I was a kid, I’ve seen the signs at gas station pumps telling people not to smoke while filling their vehicle. It’s not the gas that’s flammable, but the fumes from the gas that will erupt into flame. It’s common knowledge. Additionally, you shouldn’t re-enter your vehicle while it’s being filled because of the chance of static electricity build-up, and your engine should be shut off. Apparently not everyone heeds this advice, and one motorist in Melbourne has learned his lesson the hard way.

Surveillance video shows the man gassing up his vehicle, and at one point he opens his back door and reaches for something inside. As he pulls out an object, it was apparently a lighter which he struck to light for unknown reasons, and that in turn ignited the fumes around him.

He successfully got away from the flames, and afterward another man rushed over to throw a bucket of water on the fire while a gas station attendant turned off the pump.

When you’re told that you shouldn’t do something, I believe it’s best to heed those warnings when it’s coming from a gas station. Safety measures are in place for a reason, and if you think it can’t happen to you, you’re wrong.

However…

Even though I think this guy is a moron for striking a lighter while gassing up, he’s now given the rest of us something to watch and laugh at. Without idiots, our planet just wouldn’t be as much fun.