Gasoline Kills

[eao]

Those that like to clean parts and store gasoline improperly take notice how dangerous it can be.

Siblings killed after bonfire explodes at graduation party

 

[anonomoose]

I saw that story....and it is truly a sad ending to a life that did not need to end.

But I have used gasoline all my life including starting fires with it and have never seen it explode without being contained or allowed to build up vapors. A bonfire should not contain the vapors enought to cause this and I remain skeptical that there was not something else in that fire pit.

BTW I don't really use gasoline to ignite a fire often because fuel oil or kero does a far better job...but in a pinch I have done it...carefully.

Maybe I am wrong here but just seems that starting a fire up should not have caused a huge explosion to the point of killing folks. Maybe someone more informed can correct me on this. I will follow this story and report the findings when and if I find them.

 

[eao]

www.burnsurgery.org/Documents/gasoline_safety.doc

read this doc, you will change you mind.


1 gallon of gasoline = 20 sticks of dynamite

Gasoline is readily available and routinely used in most households. In spite of the routine use of gasoline, many people are unaware of or unappreciative of the dangers of gasoline. Gasoline is dangerous because it is highly volatile – the fumes are capable of ignition up to 12 feet away from a pooled source. This inherent danger is further multiplied by its explosive potential. Flammables burn at close to room temperature (100 degrees F), when they are near a spark, flame, or even static electricity. It can float on water and may spread long distances, making ignition and flash back possible. Gasoline vapor is highly explosive and may ignite as a “fireball” with a temperature of 15,000 degrees F.

 

[Admin]

Yea, gas can cause terrific explosions. It contains what is called "light ends", which vaporize quicker than the other parts of the gasoline mixture. Pour enough gas out and let those light ends evaporate and concentrate and then apply an ignition source at just the right time and you get one heck of an explosion. The light ends ignite and then get the rest to go all at once. I have seen mushroom clouds and burnt skin from folks that learned about light ends the hard way.

-John

 

[vx700xtc]

Todays gasoline also, for the most of us, contains at least 10% alcohol, which makes it more volatile.

 

[russholio]

I remember a house fire back in my early days on the job. The arsonist was still busy pouring gasoline (he started in the basement and was working his way up the stairs) when the vapors found an ignition source (probably the water heater or furnace). Presto, no more arsonist. I guess nobody ever told him that gasoline vapors are heavier than air and thus seek the lowest level.

Moral of the story....using gasoline to start fires is a poor idea.

 

[mjkaliszak]

I remember a house fire back in my early days on the job. The arsonist was still busy pouring gasoline (he started in the basement and was working his way up the stairs) when the vapors found an ignition source (probably the water heater or furnace). Presto, no more arsonist. I guess nobody ever told him that gasoline vapors are heavier than air and thus seek the lowest level.

Moral of the story....using gasoline to start fires is a poor idea.

Well, I store my gas on a shelf about 6ft off the ground.

 

[98panther]

I know someone that nearly blew himself up lighting a brush fire with gas last summer.
Made the nightly news in the Twin Cities.
They choppered him into the Cities for burn treatment. You can kinda recognize him these days.

 

[eao]

One thing caught my attention in the report I cited;

The vast majority of gasoline related burn injuries and deaths involves males - mostly under the age of 45 - and occur between the hours of 8am and 8pm.

 

[xcr440]

I don't know how to say it nicely, but it is almost natural selection.

If you play with gas, you are going to get burned. Anybody ever hear that growing up? I did.

And seriously, if by the time you are an adult, you don't understand gas is "flamable" and "explosive" you've been hiding under a rock.

 

[anonomoose]

http://www.macombdaily.com/article/...ims-died-from-trauma-not-burns-autopsies-show

It sounds like two things happened here. One is that a great quantity of gasoline was used and the area that was doused was quite large, and the second is that the fumes were allowed to build and get trapped under the burn materials.

These fumes were the ignition point and resulting explosion. While it is clear that gasoline when allowed to become fumes are very explosive, the fuel itself is not. I have heard of welders welding tanks that had fuel in them and that matches that are dropped into gas tanks can actually go out rather than light or explode.

I am NOT advocating any use of gasoline other than it's intend purpose but the event that killed these kids was unfortunate but the fuel was allowed to become fumes which made it highly explosive.

 

[russholio]

It sounds like two things happened here. One is that a great quantity of gasoline was used and the area that was doused was quite large, and the second is that the fumes were allowed to build and get trapped under the burn materials.

These fumes were the ignition point and resulting explosion. While it is clear that gasoline when allowed to become fumes are very explosive, the fuel itself is not. I have heard of welders welding tanks that had fuel in them and that matches that are dropped into gas tanks can actually go out rather than light or explode.

I am NOT advocating any use of gasoline other than it's intend purpose but the event that killed these kids was unfortunate but the fuel was allowed to become fumes which made it highly explosive.

The fumes (vapors) of any flammable or combustible liquid are what burns, not the liquid itself. Too rich of a fuel/air mixture = no ignition. Too lean a mixture = no ignition. Also true of gases. All have varying percentages of fuel/air mixture that will support combusition.

Gasoline is indeed very volatile and can burn quite violently, but I don't believe it's considered explosive. Of course, Hollywood, with its affinity for showing us cars exploding after falling off a cliff, would have us believe otherwise.

 

[xsledder]

I don't know how to say it nicely, but it is almost natural selection.

If you play with gas, you are going to get burned. Anybody ever hear that growing up? I did.

And seriously, if by the time you are an adult, you don't understand gas is "flamable" and "explosive" you've been hiding under a rock.

Yet, people still fill up their cars with the engine running during winter.