Cigarettes are bad for your health, but lighting them usually won’t burn your car. A series of unfortunate events caused exactly that to happen in Gamewell, North Carolina. According to reports, both people, including a child, survived, although one was hospitalized with burns charlotte observer. Authorities did not identify any of the occupants, nor did they clarify which of them was hospitalized.
On the evening of June 12, a red Kia Soul was passing by the Gamewell Superette gas station and convenience store. Local residents and business owners heard a loud explosion. WSOC Security camera video shared from the Superette shows the badly damaged Kia being pulled inside. Then a man climbs out the front passenger window, Dukes of Hazzard style, most likely because the door is too damaged to open.
The Gamewell Fire Department is right next door to Superette and responded immediately with the help of Lenoir, the next town over. Despite the explosion, there was no fire, even footage of the Kia parking at the Superette shortly thereafter. Emergency medical services treated the injuries, and firefighters investigated the cause of the explosion.
an explosive combination
Turns out the kid in the back seat was playing with a can of compressed air, the kind you use to blow dust off a computer keyboard, and use it to clean the inside of the car. Air itself is not explosive, but “canned air” is not actually air. County officials told the Charlotte Observer that the spray was “a duster-type product that contained propane, isobutane, n-butane and hydrocarbon propellants.” The Kia’s windows were closed, trapping a mixture of flammable gases inside the cabin. When the driver lit his cigarette, the lighter ignited the mixture, causing an explosion.
according to tech sprayMost consumer-grade air dusters contain HFC-152a, also known as 1,1-difluoroethane. Cameo Chemicals Adds that it ignites easily, and the flame can travel back to the source of the leak, causing an explosion. It could also be a leaking propane tank, which has the same effect. HFC-152a can cause frostbite upon skin contact, as well as suffocation if inhaled. A can of spray air may seem harmless, but it is definitely something a child should not play with, especially inside a closed vehicle.
Industrial-grade compressed air cans typically use HFC-134a instead. It is non-flammable, and can be used inside operational electrical equipment because accidental sparks will not cause it to catch fire. (If this name sounds familiar, that’s because it is the same compound that is used in automotive air conditioning systems.) HFC-152a is used in consumer spray air applications because it is less expensive, even though it is more flammable and less safe.
