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Fires and gasoline!

21 years ago

Some years ago, we went to Hickory Hills campground, near Ravenna, Ohio. We asked for a site we had rented in years past, so, when all was set, we went to it. There, in that site, and next to it, was a large blackened area, looked like a large fire had taken place there!

Another camper told us what happened.

Seems, the man who had been there was called:

" The Fire Starter", because of his penchant for making very large camp fires.

The last time he did that, he had a humongous fire going!

After it had got really big, somebody noticed that the gas cap on a pickup parked near the fire, had started to "hiss", so, somebody opened the cap! Gasoline spewed out, into the fire, and, the truck, several bystanders, the fire starter, and some others were showered with flaming gasoline!

I can't remember how many died from that fool stunt, nor how many survived, but, please be careful about where you park your car or truck, and where you build your fire!

Here's a warning about gasoline fumes: Don't park up-hill from the camp fire, or any fire! Even a small leak from the gas cap or line, will allow gas fumes to travel down hill, to be ignited by any sparks or fire!

A story i heard was this: A man was washing motorcycle parts on his back porch, in a flat aluminum pan. A neighbor 5 houses down the hill came out, set some bags of trash in his burn barrel, and lit it. In no time, the fire had ignited the fumes, and the parts washer man was a ball of fire, as was his home!

And, if you are going to burn bees out of the ground, stand up-hill from the hole! The fumes travel downhill, and if you're standing there, you'll have pants on fire, and you too!

By: Rustyj

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Comments (3)

dalew
21 years ago
Reminds me another campground story where someone poured some old gas from their little outboard motor into the fire pit. Seems the guy did not want to chance the old gas in the motor so he poured it out and then added freah gas. Not knowing where to dump the old gas (maybe a quart), he figures the fire pit. There had not been a fire there in awhile so he got by with that trick. Later that night, after returning from fishing and eating supper, decides to start a little fire in the pit. Thinking the gas had all evaporated (or maybe he just had forgot what he had done earlier), got all his fire makings set-up, using some paper to maybe get things started, went to light the paper and woosh! No eye brows and some 2nd degree burns!

That gasoline is a very dangerous thing that can easily turn against you when you cease to pay attention and not take heed!

Dale
cherylnsw
21 years ago
Jeeze, a timely message here. I was reading this and thought "oh no I left the petrol can out". Filled the lawnmower this afternoon and put the can in the shade while I did the lawn. I probably wouldn't have remembered until after the sun hit it sometime tommorrow - ooops, it was right under my daughter's window.

Thankyou for the reminder.
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rustyj14
Original Author
21 years ago
I hardly think gasoline in a can setting out in the sun would explode, but it may give off fumes that could be ignited by a careless smoker! My gas cans set in a steel cabinet that catches the morning sun, and i've never had a problem with it.
a fellow came to my house with a motorcycle gas tank, said he wanted some name-plate holes welded closed! I told him to set it down on the ground, take off the cap, put his foot on it, and i began to light the welding torch!! At that point, he ran up the driveway, far up the driveway!
I asked him why he ran away. He said i must be nuts, welding with a torch! I asked him just what he thought welding was! Any way, i put my foot on the tank, stuck the lit torch into the hole, let the fumes burn out, and went on and welded the holes shut!
Of course, you can't do that with a car or truck gas tank--you'd blow yerself to Kingdom come! The mc tank is one open tank, no baffles to hold fumes!
by: Rustyj

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