Can a cigarette light gasoline vapors? Discussion.

[montesa]

Back in the day, I worked at a mostly self-serve gas station. One day I watched as a woman fueled her car holding the pump nozzle in her right hand, with a lit cigarette nuzzled in between her index finger and the next one over. No fire, no explosion.

Yeah I think the issue is people that smoke get used to lighting up without thinking.

You can’t have a sign that says lit cigs ok, lighting them isn’t!

 

[Capm_Spaulding]

I learned last year that a match can ignite a brush pile from vapor alone at about 8 feet though. My eyebrows have grown back.

 

[Rez Exelon]

Dude, hes a troll. Dont feed the troll

Awwwwww, that's not nice. My remaining feeling is hurt.

 

[Catt57]

My uncle died of Prostate cancer and not lead poisioning.
He chewed on a piece of lead solder while painting cars with lead paint and no mask.
Cleaned his painted nostrils with his finger that he dipped in leaded gas at the time.

Guess the thinner.. Leaded gasoline.
Everyone back then done it.
I have used gasoline for paint thinner myself.
But did not clean my painted nostrils with it.

I have put a cig out in a cup of gasoline.
My son dropped a drop light that was on in the garage right after he dumped a gallon gas can over that had Methanol in it.

I heard a big WOOSH and he cam running out of the garage ahead of the fire ball that was chasing him.
He was about 5 at the time.
He could sure run.
I casually went to the faucet and turned on the water hose and pushed the fire out of the garage with the water.

Nothing burned just a little black on the extension cord.

He said I was calm as he was freaking out.

Gotta keep an eye on those little buggers all the time.

If I ever see you freaking out I'm high tailing it in the opposite direction. Cause if it's got you skeered, I sure as H3ll don't want anything to do with whatever it is........

 

[rc508pir]

Awwwwww, that's not nice. My remaining feeling is hurt.

troll...

 

[Rez Exelon]

troll...

Now twice as hurt. Poor little feeler....

 

[rc508pir]

Now twice as hurt. Poor little feeler....

troll...

 

[OkieJoe72]

In an outdoor environment, it is almost impossible for a cigarette to light gasoline or its fumes. I’m not sure how the tests were conducted in the original post, but I think that it is a real possibility if the vapors accumulated in a closed setting (tight building with poor ventilation) that a cigarette could ignite the vapors. I wouldn’t want to conduct such a test. I have a B.S. in fire protection engineering although I don’t use my degree anymore for my source of income. The risk of a cigarette to light gasoline or it’s vapors is extremely low, but I wouldn’t put it at zero percent.

 

[bigred1]

So what about cell phones/electronic devices around gas fumes will they ignite it?

 

[montesa]

So what about cell phones/electronic devices around gas fumes will they ignite?

Mythbusters did an episode on that too. They concluded the answer is no. Im sure a malfunctioning cell phone or battery could do it.

Static electricity can start a fire in specific conditions.

You should always put your gas can on the ground when filling them up especially if you have a bedliner that insulates.