Words fail me...

Tallon

I have seen this happen before when I worked in a petrol station.... But looking at a photo of it, just..... makes the mind boggle

Jumpy

One spark and no more Twilight.

JonnyM

brain dead bitch hopefully the next time she gets her come-uppence!!

teddansonswig

you're a very brave photographer, or have a great zoom
some people will never think outside their bubble

Sam Kade

Why did you have to use a picture from America? I have never seen it happen here.

keithclancy

Its actually not that easy:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/feb/27/smoking.film/print

It is pretty stupid though.

Sam Kade

teddansonswig wrote: »

you're a very brave photographer, or have a great zoom
some people will never think outside their bubble

You would want a great zoom to take a picture in America from Ireland

LostCorkGuy

Darwin in action

Jumpy

Reminds me of the petrol fight in Zoolander.

Anan1

I wonder what the real chances of ignition are. I've certainly seen it done lots, and yet i've never heard of an explosion. Might it be one of those things that looks a lot more dangerous than it is?

keithclancy

keithclancy wrote: »

Its actually not that easy:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/feb/27/smoking.film/print

It is pretty stupid though.

Did they test how hard or easy it is to ignite petrol fumes?

Big Nasty

Anan1 wrote: »

I wonder what the real chances of ignition are. I've certainly seen it done lots, and yet i've never heard of an explosion. Might it be one of those things that looks a lot more dangerous than it is?

From keithclancy's link:

"On the face of it it's a pretty simple problem," said Richard Tontarski, an expert in forensic fire at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms research laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland. Cigarettes burn at around 700C (1,292F) and the ignition temperature of petrol is 246C. "But it just isn't that simple," he said.
He began looking into the problem because arson suspects frequently claim a petrol fire was started by accident. "The person claims, 'I accidentally threw gasoline on my girlfriend, she was smoking and she burst into flames'," he said.
To find out whether this was possible, he and colleagues experimented. They dropped burning cigarettes into trays of petrol. They sprayed a fine mist of petrol at a lighted cigarette. They even used a vacuum device to produce the higher temperature (900-950C) of a cigarette being sucked. In more than 2,000 attempts the petrol did not ignite.
Dr Tontarski can only speculate why. The layer of ash on the tobacco, perhaps, or the petrol vapour convected away from the hottest part of the cigarette.
So is he in touch with Hollywood to demand it drops the explosive movie cliche? "Actually they are pretty well aware of it. They don't care."

keithclancy

Its pretty difficult as Cigarettes aren't a Naked flame even though they can burn much hotter than one at their core.

There was a mythbusters episode on it as well
Also i've tried it myself, the Die Hard style flick and run doesn't work

Electrostatic Discharge is more likely to ignite Petrol Vapour:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvXqaZgeOXU

If your filling a metal Jerry Can make sure the nozzle is touching the lip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tYO4jvnJHw

And check out this video from 1948:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAiMtnPxlNc

Anan1

I managed to miss keithclancy's post altogether when writing mine. I wonder is it statistically safer than, say, 60km/h in a residential area? Or driving after a few pints?

iano.p

this happens here all the time. i am surprised we haven't seen someone hurt because of it

Sugarlumps

Yer one looks like the nutter from Teen Mom, not that I watch that sort of thang.