The flame from his lighter unsurprisingly sparked a huge fire which engulfed the pump, causing him to jump backwards.
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The petrol station employee on duty at the time, Susan Adams, said the man sheepishly apologised the next day.
The man says he was trying to kill a spider with the lighter. The fire destroyed only the pump, as Fox 2 reports that the auto received minor damage and surveillance footage shows the man to be the only person nearby the incident.
“I didn’t find out until later that he seen a spider and tried to burn it”, Adams told WWJ.
The man extinguished the flames before firefighters arrived at the scene. However, the fuel pump will need replacing, though it is expected to be covered by the gas station’s insurance.
Of course, gasoline and fire do not mix, so flames quickly spread around is vehicle and the gas pump.
“It shocked me because it was like, ‘So how did it catch on fire, ‘” said Adams.
The man later later apologized and said he is deathly afraid of spiders.
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There is no limit to just how stupid some people can be when faced with what they feel is a dire decision.
