# Would this have killed or injured me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 2, 2006, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-have-killed-or-injured-me/359213 "2006-06-02T22:47:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stainz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stainz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stainz)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-have-killed-or-injured-me/359213/1 "2006-06-02T22:47:36Z")
When I was 16, I worked at a gas-station part time. Before closing on Sunday nights, I had to “dip the tanks”, which involved sticking a loooong wooden measuring stick into the underground tanks. One night I found it hard to read the markings on the stick, so I pulled out my lighter and just about flicked it when I had the flash of brilliance that perhaps an open flame right next to a wooden stick that was soaked in gasoline, with one end of that stick in a giant tank of gasoline wasn’t a good idea. What would have happened to me if I hadn’t found my brain at the last minute? ---
**Author:** ![bonitahi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7993a0/32.png) [@bonitahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonitahi)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-have-killed-or-injured-me/359213/2 "2006-06-02T22:53:29Z")
Yes! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-have-killed-or-injured-me/359213/3 "2006-06-02T22:55:18Z")
I think you narrowly escaped a Darwin Award there; certainly the stick could easily have caught fire, and what would have been your reflexive reaction? Drop it… Foom! I suppose there’s a possibility that gasoline vapours inside the tank would be concetrated to the extent that oxygen was excluded, but maybe not; certainly not a rick I’d want to play with. ---
**Author:** ![Stainz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stainz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stainz)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-have-killed-or-injured-me/359213/4 "2006-06-02T23:03:02Z")
Hopefully now, 20 years later, I am somewhat smarter. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-have-killed-or-injured-me/359213/5 "2006-06-02T23:16:21Z")
I seriously doubt the oxygen-fuel mixture in an almost empty tank would be sufficient to cause an explosion. A full tank would have even a lesser chance of causing an explosion. Instead, you would have a fire at the tank opening. A quality fire extinguisher would smother it. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-have-killed-or-injured-me/359213/6 "2006-06-02T23:56:19Z")
[Gas Pump Fire](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3x-8tj49ac&search=gas%20fire%20pump) video. It’s not quite the same situation, but sometimes things work out. Back in high school, I knew a kid who worked at a gas station. He smoked. He also dipped the tanks. He closed up shop and walked home one night, across the street, and the station dissolved in a ball of fire. Of course he didn’t admit to smoking _that_ night. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-have-killed-or-injured-me/359213/7 "2006-06-03T00:13:21Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > [Gas Pump Fire](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3x-8tj49ac&search=gas%20fire%20pump) video. It’s not quite the same situation, but sometimes things work out. What caused that fire? Was it static electricity from the driver getting out of the car? ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-have-killed-or-injured-me/359213/8 "2006-06-03T00:24:21Z")
> [@Stainz](#): > > When I was 16, I worked at a gas-station part time. Before closing on Sunday nights, I had to “dip the tanks”, which involved sticking a loooong wooden measuring stick into the underground tanks. One night I found it hard to read the markings on the stick, so I pulled out my lighter and just about flicked it when I had the flash of brilliance that perhaps an open flame right next to a wooden stick that was soaked in gasoline, with one end of that stick in a giant tank of gasoline wasn’t a good idea. > > What would have happened to me if I hadn’t found my brain at the last minute? I’d guess the worst that could happen is that around the opening to the tank, there’d be enough oxygen-fuel mix to produce a significant flare like a blowtorch for a second or two. The oxygen would quickly be consumed, then the flame would dwindle down to one of those lambent nearly-invisible blue flames like you see on a dish of Bananas Foster. The initial flare could easily give you a second degree burn if you were directly over the opening, otherwise probably you’d just get some singed hair. Hey, congratulations on surviving this far in life, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-have-killed-or-injured-me/359213/9 "2006-06-03T00:37:47Z")
> [@adam yax](#): > > What caused that fire? Was it static electricity from the driver getting out of the car? Something like that. She didn’t seem to be smoking, but she was sliding her sweater around over her pants. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-have-killed-or-injured-me/359213/10 "2006-06-03T00:51:21Z")
> [@adam yax](#): > > What caused that fire? Was it static electricity from the driver getting out of the car? If you watch the full video the lady get out of the car adjusts her sweater, starts the pump, slides back onto the seat, slides back out, readjusts her sweater, all without touching the car. Yup static allright. Lots and lots of static ---
**Author:** ![Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gut)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-have-killed-or-injured-me/359213/11 "2006-06-03T01:07:41Z")
Here in Calgary a guy was looking into the underground storage tank and had the same idea you did. Used his lighter to get a better look. FOOM! Serious injury was the result. I don’t think he died. It was at least 10 years ago. For the local folks it happened in the little parkade accross from the Family Courts. That little parkade with the single pump gas station at the bottom of it. Anybody else remember this? ---
**Author:** ![Stainz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stainz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stainz)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-have-killed-or-injured-me/359213/12 "2006-06-03T03:37:17Z")
> [@Brain Wreck](#): > > Hey, congratulations on surviving this far in life, by the way. Thank you. For the record, I’m not an idiot, TRULY - I just had a brain fart as a silly 16-year-old. And yeah, since I would’ve been leaning over the tank at the time, if there had been any kind of fire or explosion, I would’ve felt it! The Darwin Award comment made me giggle though … ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-have-killed-or-injured-me/359213/13 "2006-06-03T09:30:00Z")
Did the tank have floater boards? These suppress evaporation. If not, you’d likely have a nice mixture of gaseous petrol and air, just waiting for ignition. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-have-killed-or-injured-me/359213/14 "2006-06-03T11:32:00Z")
> [@Stainz](#): > > I pulled out my lighter and just about flicked it when I had the flash of brilliance that perhaps an open flame right next to a wooden stick that was soaked in gasoline, with one end of that stick in a giant tank of gasoline wasn’t a good idea. “What in Heaven’s name am I doing?” - Wile E. Coyote ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-have-killed-or-injured-me/359213/15 "2006-06-03T13:48:03Z")
When I was 17 and working in a self-service gas station, I had a scare. A man in a VW bug was driving down the road when his back seat caught on fire (the battery was located beneath the back seat). So he did what anyone would do; he pulled into a gas station, right up to the pumps, and jumped out. People who were pumping at that island freaked out. I ran out of my booth, grabbed the extinguisher, and put out the fire. I was so frightened by the whole thing that I called the guy a “stupid motherfucker” right to his face. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-have-killed-or-injured-me/359213/16 "2006-06-03T13:56:50Z")
> [@Brain Wreck](#): > > then the flame would dwindle down to one of those lambent nearly-invisible blue flames like you see on a dish of Bananas Foster. 😃 Don’t get to use that comparison too often, do you? ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-have-killed-or-injured-me/359213/17 "2006-06-03T14:55:47Z")
Fire’s a funny thing. I guess that conditions have to be just right, or else it won’t take, no matter how flammable the situation. At the gas station where I worked as a teenager, I once say a guy holding a lit cigarette in the hand he was using to pump gas. I ran out to order him to stop, and he stomped it out obediently, but told me he “did it all the time.”