03-02-2008
A man from Woodworth was pumping gas into a metal gas can in the bed of his pickup truck on Sunday at the Kroger fueling station in Alexandria when a spark caused by static electricity ignited the gasoline vapors, quickly engulfing the truck and nearby gas pump.
Flames from the fire reached the top of the canopy and completely engulfed the truck.

"When the gasoline was being flowed into the metal can, it can cause a static charge,”
“When that can is sitting on a plastic bed liner, the plastic liner prevents the charge from grounding. And as the charge builds, it can create a spark between the can and the nozzle, igniting the vapors.

If the gas can had been sitting on the ground, this fire never would have happened.
There are several notices on the pumps warning of the dangers of static electricity and gasoline instructing people to stay off their cell phone, to ground themselves before fueling and to always fill gas canisters on the ground, not in their vehicle.