Car bursts into flames after driver uses cigarette lighter to find gas cap

A Russian driver caused a major fire at a gas station because he thought it would be a good idea to use a lighter to find the gas cap.

CCTV footage from the Sredneuralsk train station in the Sverdlovsk region shows the driver using the lighter while searching for the fuel cap, which immediately resulted in a huge flame.

He then rushed to evacuate the passengers from his vehicle.

We then see an adult and a small child, who were sitting near the ignited fuel source, get out of the car.

The man then gets back into the burning vehicle and tries to drive it away from the gas pump, which also caught fire at that time.

According to local reports, the man then stopped the car and, with the help of gas station staff, used fire extinguishers to put out the flames.

They also allegedly tried to shovel sand onto the fire, which had already been extinguished when emergency services arrived.

No injuries were reported and the driver has not yet been identified.

It is the second story this year about a fire breaking out at a Russian gas station.

In early August, a huge explosion rocked the outskirts of Makhachkala in the southern Republic of Dagestan.

More than 30 people were killed and 105 injured – many airlifted to hospitals in Moscow more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away – after a fire broke out at a nearby car repair shop and then spread to the gas station.

The incident affected an area of ​​more than 600 square meters and required the deployment of more than 260 rescue workers to limit the damage.

A criminal investigation was subsequently launched into the explosion, with compensation offered to the injured and the families of the deceased victims.

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