Hummer hauling 5-gallon fuel cans catches fire near Florida gas station, authorities say
.jpg "Citrus County Fire Rescue responded to a vehicle on fire in Homosassa, May 12, 2021. The department says there were four gas cans in the back of the Hummer.")
A Florida driver learned the hard way that stocking up on gas can be dangerous.
Shortly after the driver filled four five-gallon cans with fuel at Texaco Food Mart in Homosassa and placed them in the back of a Hummer — a fire broke out.
Citrus County Fire Rescue responded to the vehicle fire just before 11 a.m. Wednesday. The department did not identify the driver.
The fire comes at a time when many people are panic-buying after a cyberattack shut down the Colonial Pipeline — the country’s biggest fuel pipeline.
Experts say the crunch for gas in Florida has less to do with the cyberattack and more to do with people hoarding gas. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in response to the Colonial Pipeline attack.
In Wednesday’s fire, it took firefighters about 10 minutes to extinguish the blaze that engulfed the 2004 Hummer H2.
One person was injured, but refused medical attention.
The fire, which left the Hummer charred, will be investigated by the Florida State Fire Marshal. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection was also notified in order to help clean the fuel spill.
This story was originally published May 13, 2021 at 6:15 PM.
