Gas blew up in my face today

[3930dave]

Powerful stories, for all of us to (re-)learn from.

CM - sending you a pm shortly.

Rgds, D.

 

[Coyote machine]

Powerful stories, for all of us to (re-)learn from.

CM - sending you a pm shortly.

Rgds, D.

Thanks Dave for taking the time, and your well wishes.
I did reference this thread in the safety forum and requested for people to visit this thread here in Rural Living, to possibly benefit those who could find a reminder of the dangers of gasoline and it's improper handling/risks, etc. a worthwhile refresher 'course' in what NOT to do when wanting to burn brush, leaves, etc.

Anyone who benefits from reading this thread, and possibly saves himself or someone else from potential disastrous outcomes of mistakes, lapses in judgement, and the risks associated with misuse of gasoline is fortunate, IMHO.
I hope for anyone considering starting a burn pile with gasoline to PLEASE, DON'T! As Soldier said, it only takes the one out of a 100 times for anything to go wrong- and by then it's way to late to correct the errors....

WHY RISK your LIFE! Seconds count, and gas is faster than any of us when it blows up.......

 

[dragoneggs]

Coyote... thanks for sharing. I guess I learned early not to screw around with fuels with high vapor content. Goes back to being a teen and learning from my dad using highly flammable lighter fluid on the bbq coals before they changed it so it wasn't so volatile and explosive. I only fuel burn piles with used motor oil almost exclusively and assist with a weed burner (propane tank for fuel). Much more controlled and doesn't flash. Let the oil soak for awhile.

Sounds as you dodged the big bullet and hope you are recovering in quick fashion. Thanks for sharing your mishap as it will surely educate many to avoid a similar situation or worse. No judgement here... I had a couple close calls in younger days and learned I need to have a little more patience.

 

[jack707]

I start all my brush gi4s with a weed burner and diesel.

 

[Soldier415]

I didn't get my head, but arms and legs. Had to stay in a silicone wrap of some sort for a while.

Did your skin end up looking like the below?

View attachment 515086

It did, but not to that extreme. Ouch man

 

[Soldier415]

I had a similar experience but was not so lucky. This happened back in 2014. Needed to touch off a brush pile.

I knew Gas was not the right choice but thought I could mitigate the hazards

I normally use diesel or bar and chain oil but didn't have any. Had some 2 month old gas so spread that over the pile of branches and other yard waste, let it sit for 20 minutes for the vapors to disperse.

Unfortunately the top layer of the pile was burlap type screening you put down before mulch and it trapped the gasoline vapors in the pile. Went to light it and less than a foot away...WHUMP! Huge gasoline fireball enveloped me as I was right in front of a void in the side of the pile where vapors were trapped.

After the explosion while back pedaling I rubbed my hands all over my head rapidly to put out my hair which was on fire. Doing that also tore pieces of burnt skin off. Stopped dropped and rolled to put out my sweatshirt. Unfortunately doing that caused the burned skin to slough off my hand from the friction on the ground of rolling. Saw that the gas can was like 5-10 feet from the fire so I ran and grabbed it and moved it farther away.

Floored ATV to the house to look in the mirror. Took one look and knew this was really really ****ing bad and I would not be driving myself to the ER. Called 911, relayed situation and requested EMS for me and to roll fire to put out the brush pile so there wouldn't be an unattended fire. After 911 I put the dogs in their crates, locked the house and truck and went to wait for EMS in the driveway. Was doing tactical breathing to manage pain and keep myself from delving into shock.

Took 15 minutes for ambulance to get there, another 5 mins on scene to start an IV line and get vitals, then another 25 minute drive to the ER. This was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life.

At the ER I had to be knocked out and intubated/ventilated due to concerns about my airway, then transferred an hour away to the emergency burn unit. Incidentally, I woke up right as they started to intubate me. I was fully aware, yet paralyzed and could not breath. Not a pleasant experience

These pictures are of me after 2 days in the burn unit, with second degree burns covering almost all of my face, head and right hand. Mot of my hair was burned off, as were my eyebrows and eye lashes.

The recovery was extremely painful as I had to scrape dead burned skin off every morning. It is not worth it. Even if you have done it 99 times, the 100th may be the time it doesn't work for you.

What really added insult to injury is that on the Army side I am an Explosives/Demolitions expert

 

[Cat_Driver]

One lesson with gas is it's NOT the liquid that will harm you - it's the FUMES. The Fumes can travel several feet from the source and be where you would not expect them to be. I always give gas a large area of respect even when I'm filling up my vehicles.
Many stories of vehicles catching fire while filling up from simple static electricity spark.
My Mom got burned pretty bad years ago by cleaning my sisters dress with gasoline ( don't ask me why), the fume reveled a dozen feet or more along the floor of the basement from the sink to the hot water tank flame. She never saw it coming, and never knew why she was all of a sudden on fire. She recovered, but that taught me a lesson when I was a kid. FUMES TRAVEL.

 

[CincyFlyer]

One must always note that gasoline vapors tend to hug the ground (note that the gas heaters in auto repair shops are hung from the ceiling!) and therefore will spread in all directions (given no wind). I used to light fires with gasoline, but a jet-ski accident involving a fire stopped that permanently. I don't like to be on fire. My face wasn't as bad as the one pictured, but I had no facial hair and lovely blistering that took months to heal.

 

[riptides]

What really added insult to injury is that on the Army side I am an Explosives/Demolitions expert

Thanks for your service, and you got a great sense of humor!

 

[teejk]

One lesson with gas is it's NOT the liquid that will harm you - it's the FUMES. The Fumes can travel several feet from the source and be where you would not expect them to be. I always give gas a large area of respect even when I'm filling up my vehicles.
Many stories of vehicles catching fire while filling up from simple static electricity spark.
My Mom got burned pretty bad years ago by cleaning my sisters dress with gasoline ( don't ask me why), the fume reveled a dozen feet or more along the floor of the basement from the sink to the hot water tank flame. She never saw it coming, and never knew why she was all of a sudden on fire. She recovered, but that taught me a lesson when I was a kid. FUMES TRAVEL.

Lesson to be learned with propane also...it's heavier than air and hugs the ground if allowed to (carpet bomb). They put a stink in it so if you smell it, get out!