Florida

Hummer Filled With Gas Cans Bursts Into Flames in Florida

One person was injured but refused medical treatment

WFLA-TV / Citrus County Fire Rescue

One person was injured after their SUV, which they had filled with several cans of gas, burst into flames in Central Florida, deputies said.

Fire rescue crews responded to the scene Wednesday after a 2004 Hummer H2 was reported on fire in Citrus County, located southwest of Ocala, NBC affiliate WFLA-TV reports.

A spokesperson said the driver had filled up several gas cans at a nearby Texaco food mart just prior to the incident. Investigators found the remains of four 5-gallon containers in the back of the SUV.

Crews were able to quickly put out the fire. One person was injured but refused medical treatment.

Officials say the incident was an example of people in the Southeastern U.S. panic-buying gasoline in the wake of the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack that left the nation's largest fuel pipeline offline for several days. However, officials used this fire to remind Florida residents not to rush to the pumps because the state does not actually have a gas shortage.

The Florida State Fire Marshal is still investigating to determine the official cause of the fire.

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