Three people were seriously burned attempting to restart their van by pouring gas from a bucket into a water bottle directly into the van's carburetor. The van started but soon exploded. The flaming motorists then ran... into a gas station.


Darwin's unsuccessful van explosion occurred yesterday in Bellevue, Washington outside of Seattle. There are so many levels of poor thought in this it's a wonder anyone survived. First, the people involved didn't have a gas can so they used an open bucket to store the fuel. Then, After carrying the bucket to the van they filled a water bottle with fuel and poured it directly in the carb. To do this they removed the engine cover in the passenger compartment.

Somehow they managed all of this without setting the van on fire and were able to drive a short distance. Then the van stalled again. On their next attempt to restart it the large amount of fuel vapors within the interior conspired against them and the entire thing blew up.


Oh, but it doesn't end there. From KOMO:

Other witnesses told police the woman jumped out the back of the van and fell to the ground on fire, and the van rolled over her leg. The two men jumped out in flames and ran toward the Chevron station on the corner desperate to get their fires out. One man made it into the gas station and tried to douse himself with water.

Seriously, if this van's a-rocking run for your lives... and don't run into a gas station.

(Hat tip to Dukie!)

[KING5, KOMO via Autoholics]