When what looks to be a Hummer H2 went up in flames in Homosassa, Florida on Wednesday, Citrus County Fire Rescue discovered the exact scene everyone's been warned about. The vehicle's driver had just filled up multiple containers of gasoline during what looks to be a panic-buying spree but didn't make it far from the pumps before the fuel ignited. Emergency personnel had the fire contained in roughly 10 minutes after arriving and although an injury was reported, the person refused medical transport against the advice of on-scene workers.
This was multi-level stupidity. The obvious one was carrying 20 gallons of gas in a closed vehicle. Rumors are that the driver lit up a cigarette.
Another level of stupidity is that Citrus County (central west coast of the dick of Florida) is not served by the Colonial Pipeline. On this graphic, the pipeline in question is the long purple one that goes from the Gulf Coast up through the Carolinas, Virginia and into New York:
The pipeline does not serve the Florida peninsula. POL is shipped there almost entirely by barge.[1]
There is simply no need for people in that part of Florida to stockpile gasoline.
But there is stupidity and panic-buying. And Florida, from the governor's mansion all the way down, seems to run on vast reservoirs of stupidity.
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[1] Aviation gasoline does not move by pipeline.
Think "insurance" will cover it? I don't but ... I don't drive a Hummer.
ReplyDeleteCaveat: I have a thirty-five gallon ferry-tank under the tool box in the back of my pickup. Empty though, I don't drive it enough to warrant seventy gallons of fuel going bad. At roughly twenty gallons a month, could drive the Smart car three, four months.
I still want to pin this on "pulling something out of the deep, dark recesses of antiquity." Specifically the fuel-crisis of the seventies, unfairly lain at Jimmy Carter's feet. The media, as brilliant as they are, cooked this whole gas-line thing up, has manufactured hysteria, out of whole clothe. I am guilty of making jokes about stupid people doing stupid stuff, but someone is responsible for the damage, for the harm. Have to draw a line somewhere.
It's too bad he couldn't get the gasoline home to join his forty cases of toilet paper.
ReplyDeleteFirst I rarely go to panic buy as its often over priced.
ReplyDeleteBack in the 70's I did that game and as bad as it was
I always had the gas I needed to get to work and school.
I just didn't waste it and I was driving a fairly fuel
efficient small truck at the time rather than the F250
360CID 4WD heavy mover.
When I thought I may need enough gas that the tank in
the truck is not large enough I have a suitably safe
12 gallon aux tank.
That said I do keep a 5 gallon safety can (steel)
full for the lawn mower, snowblower, power tools and
genset. If 4-5 gallons is not enough maybe It needs
a rethink as to were I'm going. That assumes I need
to go anywhere.
That and blowing you truck and yourself up is just
not cool.
Eck!
What a story. The only thing missing is a shrine to Donald Trump surrounded by lit candles in the same car as the gasoline, and it would would be the perfect Florida Man story.
ReplyDeleteFlori-DUH Man strikes (pun intended) again!
ReplyDelete