Man sets fire to petrol station on CCTV

[Stratman]

In Greenwich, southeast London.

 

[brucemillar]

I blame the pump it should have run away.

Sent from my iPhone using MBClub UK

 

[Minz]

I put air in the tyres of the van at that very station last week.

There are some right nutjobs about.... scary.

 

[MancMike]

I generally find people underestimate how burny petrol is. They douse their bonfire, BBQ, etc, in far far too much, thinking it's going to light and burn slowly, like meths, or alcohol. Nope, it goes Woomph, and takes their eyebrows with it, usually.

 

[regbuser]

[YOUTUBE]Cell Phone Causes Explosion/Shell Petrol Tanker - YouTube[/YOUTUBE]

http://youtu.be/nyYCu2K-NYQ

 

[cinek]

And I blame the petrol for its flammable properties.

 

[markjay]

Very good response from tbe cabbie.

 

[John]

I was watching this at lunchtime and wondered if petrol stations are designed in such a way that means they take a long time to explode if at all?

Or is it just luck that bloke who put it out didn't get flambéed?

 

[Giantvanman]

I generally find people underestimate how burny petrol fumes are. They douse their bonfire, BBQ, etc, in far far too much, thinking it's going to light and burn slowly, like meths, or alcohol. Nope, it goes Woomph, and takes their eyebrows with it, usually.

It's the fumes that are highly combustible, more easily ignited than petrol itself. The clips of people igniting at petrol pumps are the result of static electricity igniting the petrol vapours/fumes, not the liquid………….so said the fireman at every annual fire safety refresher anyway.

 

[Dieselman]

Other than the bit of petrol on the floor there was no real danger.

Petrol needs air to make it flammable, so even if the pump was still delivering, it will only burn what is outside the nozzle...but...guess what...the pump stops delivering when the trigger is let go...

Even if you knock the pump out of the ground, there is very little risk

You can see the flame diminishing as the fuel puddle is reducing.

It was mildly entertaining watching him jump back.

As an aside, my BIL once burned 750 gallons of petrol for an experiment...just kept pumping until it was all gone.

 

[MancMike]

As an aside, my BIL once burned 750 gallons of petrol for an experiment...just kept pumping until it was all gone.

4 grand experiment? What did he want to find out?

 

[Dieselman]

4 grand experiment? What did he want to find out?

To see if something could take a bit of heat without being damaged.

 

[moonloops]

I see your fire.. and raise you with two fires

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_ZNXAeKrxc0

 

[Giantvanman]

I see your fire.. and raise you with two fires

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_ZNXAeKrxc0

At least the helper had his flame proof sandals on.

 

[SpoonJar]

Why did the cashier even activate the pump?. Surely they must have noticed no car or petrol can.

 

[Dieselman]

Very good response from tbe cabbie.

Why?

All it did was waste a fire extinguisher charge on a dying flame.

 

[markjay]

The facts are that TNT will melt if exposed to fire, and you can safely play cricket with a live hand granade.

I am serious - this is true. The public grossly overestimate the volatility of explosives.

Yet... both activities above are not recommended.... the risk is not as high as people might think, but it is still not a good idea to introduce fire to a petrol station.

 

[markjay]

Why?

All it did was waste a fire extinguisher charge on a dying flame.

Members of the public are not expected to carry-out fire risk assessments in real time.... the cabbie saw a fire, quickly grabbed an extinguisher, operated it correctly, and extinguished the fire in seconds.

He acted correctly so well done to him. This is exactly what a member of the public should do if they see a fire.

And the comment about 'wasting a fire extinguisher' can't be serious?

Anyway, we are all armchair firefighters here... it would be interested to know what Pontoneer thinks about this.

 

[John Jones Jr]

And the comment about 'wasting a fire extinguisher' can't be serious?

Why not? He was serious about paying 100k for an EV

 

[MancMike]

Why?

All it did was waste a fire extinguisher charge on a dying flame.

Give it a rest Mr hindsight.

I bet you're the guy who after watching a clip of a head-on, says "why didn't he just turn to avoid it?"