‘Miracle nobody died’ as idiotic smoker units petrol station on hearth after lighting cigarette
Dramatic CCTV footage shows the man lighting up a cigarette whilst others fill up their petrol before throwing the match away and sending the forecourt into a huge ball of fire
A man has set an entire petrol station aflame after he lit up a cigarette on the station’s forecourt. Chaos soon erupted as those who were looking to fill up their vehicles ended up breaking for cover instead.
Fireballs could be seen tearing through the petrol station as customers ran for their lives in the city of Timon, Brazil. Fortunately, no one was hurt during the horrific incident, thanks to the quick thinking of petrol station workers.
Eyewitnesses said the fire took hold almost immediately, leaving many in danger of being caught in the flames and unable to escape. Authorities in the local state of Maranhão are now investigating who was responsible for causing the incident.
Dramatic footage from the station’s CCTV shows the moment the fire erupted, as a man sits with a group of people in front of the station’s shop. After lighting up a cigarette during the seemingly normal conversation, he then throws the match he used to light the fag away, setting off a chain of events that sets the entire station alight, according to the Sun.
A huge ball of fire could be seen as the forecourt erupts into flames, sending the group of people running. The flames came within feet of a trucker who had been filling his tanker with fuel, as everyone was forced to flee in order to save their lives.
A motorbike was also incredibly close to igniting as it lay halfway between the group of revellers and the large lorry. Luckily, nobody was injured in the incident, thanks in part to attendants of the station who raced out with fire extinguishers to put out the flames in just a matter of seconds.
The group involved in causing the fire are believed to have been enjoying some drinks just moments before disaster struck on Monday (November 3). Petrol workers are reported to have warned punters to move back from the lorry just in case something was to go awry.
Investigations are now underway to find out how the fire took hold and how people were just seconds away from complete disaster. Bosses at the fire and rescue service in Timon explained that the outdoor café area that had been set up in front of the petrol station was not included in plans to help prevent fires from taking place.
“It’s a miracle no one was killed,” one witness said, “the whole place could have gone up.”
This is not the only near-miss fire disaster at a petrol station this year. Just months before, a massive explosion ripped through a petrol station in the Italian capital of Rome, with over 40 people being injured.
Two people were left with injuries described as being “life-threatening”, as eyewitnesses said the scene of the explosion resembled that of a warzone. Rome’s mayor Roberto Gualtieri was devastated as he inspected the aftermath of the blaze, which was caused when a fuel tanker crashed with a pipe.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
