Watch CBS News

Cigarette Ignites 125 Gallons Of Gasoline Stored In Riverside Garage

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — Buying a product you use frequently in bulk and when its on sale make sense – unless you're talking about gasoline.

Riverside firefighters were dispatched to the 4400 block of Linwood late Tuesday night, where they found a garage fully engulfed in flames. Turns out the resident of the home likes to buy a lot of gas when it's cheap and store it in his garage -- where he decided to have a cigarette, fire officials said..

Three barrels of gasoline – one 55-gallon and two 35-gallon – were stored in the garage.

During the fire, there were two explosions, sending flames up as high as 80 feet, a Riverside Fire captain said.

The fire, which was confined to the unattached garage, was knocked down within 20 minutes, but not before causing $40,000 in damage.

The resident received second-degree burns to his right hand and is being treated at Arrow Regional Medical Center. A firefighter suffered heat blisters on the backs of both hands after standing too close to the fire during one explosion. He was treated at the scene.

The resident could face possible citations for the fire.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.