Jacksonville, FL – A โdramatic scene unfolded at a โฃJacksonville gas station Tuesday โasโค an SUV arrived engulfed in โflames, prompting fears of an explosion andโ a swift response from both witnesses and a quick-thinking gas station employee. The incident, captured on โขvideo by a bystander, sparked panic among those nearby.
The SUV โwas already โคon fire when the driver pulled into the gas station parking lot and parked next to a gas โpump, accordingโค to witnesses โคand a gas station employee. โฃ”I don’t know if that โขwas out of panic,โค butโ I would panic even more pulling upโข next to a gas pump,” one โwitness stated. Tiffany Parker, who recorded theโ incident fromโ across the street, described hearing popping noises โขas the car’s windows shattered and the fire intensified.โ “There was fear.People were screamingโฆEveryone was worried about the workers at the gas station and at Wendy’s,” Parker said.
Another witness closer to the pumps โคexpressed the widespread concern, stating,โข “It was scary, especially when you hear the tires pop from the heat and theโค noises. We thought it wasโฃ going to explode.” Fortunately, a gas station โemployee quickly shut off power to the pumps, preventing a possibly catastrophic situation.โค “it’s a good thing the Gate employees were trained on that,” a witnessโฃ commented.
No injuries were reported as an inevitable result of the fire.
The incident highlights the dangers of vehicle โขfires at gas stations,โข which the National Fire Protection Association reports occur more than 4,100 times annually in the U.S. Over half โคof these โฃfiresโข involveโค vehicles, and more than three-quarters are โขcaused โby mechanical or electrical malfunctions.
Jacksonville Fireโ and Rescue Department officials emphasized the importance of safety, advising drivers to immediately pull over away from people and property if they notice smoke coming โขfrom their vehicle. They strongly cautioned against parking near gas pumps while a โขvehicle โคis smokingโ or on fire.
