Imagine that you’re shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond, and you see a bedding display on fire. Would you whip out your mobile phone and walk toward the flames to take a video, or turn around and run the hell away? We prefer when our readers stay alive, so we recommend the second option. One California shopper chose differently, which is why we have this disturbing video.

It’s not disturbing because of the fire: it’s disturbing precisely because the shopper tries to get a better view and resists store employees’ attempts to herd him out of the store.

According to NBC San Diego, the fire did set off the store’s sprinkler system, but that wasn’t enough to keep up with a shelf full of densely packed bedding. Firefighters arrived and extinguished it, but there’s still significant damage to the store. Mostly water damage. They may lose a lot of merchandise as well, since the fire was in the bedding department. No one wants to buy a smoky duvet.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire using store surveillance footage.

Again, if you wander into something newsworthy, you should never film videos vertically on your phone. Ever. Safety first, though: when you see flames, run away.

Caught on Cam: Store Display Explodes in Flames [7 San Diego]

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