A Hummer burst into flames just moments after it left a gas station with the vehicle filled with containers of gasoline, apparently loaded up with extra fuel because of fears of shortages, reports say.
Firefighters found the Hummer H2 engulfed in flames Wednesday near a Texaco gas station, WFLA Channel 8 reports. One person was injured but refused treatment.
Officials tell Fox 13 the owner of the Hummer had just put four five-gallon gas containers into the back of the vehicle. How the fire started is unknown. It took firefighters about 10 minutes to put it out.
There have been reports of panic buying of gasoline across the South after a computer hack shut down the Colonial Pipeline, which transports fuel from Houston up to New Jersey. The Washington Post reports the pipeline resume full operations on Thursday.
Analysts had said the pipeline hack should not result in significant interruptions in supply. However, consumers worried about shortages went on buying sprees, leaving about 12,000 stations without fuel. The increased demand pushed the national average for a price of a gallon of gas over $3, the Post reports.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and petroleum officials have been urging residents to avoid “panic buying.” About 90 percent of Florida’s fuel is supplied through cargo ships, reports say.
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