A Bad Idea Gets Even Worse When Lit Candle In Car Sparks Fire At Gas Station

Riding around in a car with an open flame is a bad idea all on its own: Any unexpected movements or sharp turns and that candle you lit for ambiance or use when your interior lights are out is going to go flying. Flying fire is bad, but it’s perhaps an even worse idea to have a flickering flame when your car is sitting still at the gas station. And yes, someone has definitely done this.

A Florida woman reportedly pulled up to a gas station yesterday afternoon around 2 p.m. with a lighted candle sitting in her cupholder, reports ActionNewsJax.

Workers realized something was amiss when another customer ran inside the station and said that the woman’s car was on fire, the county sheriff’s officer said.

Emergency responders from the fire department arrived on the scene and were able to extinguish the flames that had engulfed the woman’s car and also damaged a nearby gas pump.

“She had a candle in the cupholder,” a rep from the sheriff’s office explained. “She got out, pumped gas and went inside. When she was inside another customer came in and said, ‘Hey, your car is on fire.’ ”

The woman won’t face any charges as officials say it was an accident, but let’s be very, very clear: DO NOT LIGHT CANDLES IN YOUR CAR. Not at a gas station, not while you’re whipping down the freeway and probably texting at the same time, not ever. Nothing good can come of it, and your phone probably has a flashlight app you can use instead.

Car with lighted candle inside starts fire at Florida gas station [ActionNewsJax}

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