Houston: Austin Cochrum Burned In Static IgnitedFlash Fire at the Pump

UPDATE

by Jennifer L. Hazen, Editor
February 20, 2003
We first reported this fire in September 2002

Austin Cochrum was filling up his truck, on September 9, at a local gas station. He and his friend Josh cook had just been to a baseball game. Austin had started the gas in his truck. He went over the Josh's truck and put his credit card in for Josh to get some gas. Josh had supplied the tickets to the ball game and Austin was repaying him in gasoline.

Mr. Cochrum was attempting to sit down on the open door step of Josh's 1972 Chevrolet pickup truck. He had his Nylon (or Polyester) wallet in his left hand. He placed his left hand with the wallet on the fabric seat and was about to touch the door frame to shift his weight and turn to sit when he discharged to the door/fuel port area. The vapors coming from the open fuel port ignited in a flash fire that caught his shirt on fire. He ran into the station before he noticed he was burning. He received second-degree burns to his left arm, left hand and side. The fire burned through two shirts. Cochrum spent six days in a Houston burn unit for treatment. He still is recovering after 5 months and it is now believed he did receive some 3rd degree burns.

Austin was a scratch golf player before the fire (72 low score). Now he is struggling to get his game back as he recovers form the fire.

Mr. Cochrum said: "You see a lot of movies with explosions. I was just thinking about getting out of there," Cochrum said. " I didn't really have time to think about it. I just took off." "I'll touch my truck before I fill up," Cochrum said. "I will definitely be aware of it now. ... It will cause me to be in less of a hurry." "I think I was more shocked about being on fire more than anything," He stated that static electricity would be on his mind while refueling his vehicle in the future.

The Fire Marshall's office ruled the accident was the result of static electricity, created by Cochrum, and reacting with gas vapors from the vehicle's gas tank. They theorized the reaction came after Cochrum rubbed his fabric wallet on his friend's fabric seat cover, which made the static charge, then when he touched the outside of the truck - BOOM!

We believe that when Austin reached across the fabric seat, he had a static potential induced on his body from the charged seat material. He discharged this (or equalized the potential) when he touched the truck near the fuel port and the vapors. His burns were consistent with a flash fire. The truck had its fuel port very near the door. This model of truck had an open port design which allowed large amount of vapor to escape during refueling. This contributed to the intensity and volume of the flash fire Austin experienced.

Josh pulled the hose disconnect away from the pump to stop the flow. This may have stopped the flow and reduced the amount of gasoline that spilled out. However, we do not recommend this since the hose can separate from the coupling resulting in a massive release of liquid and cause a huge inferno. The best approach is to go into the station and ask the attendant to hit the "All Stop" button or cut off the pumps.

Josh pulled the hose disconnect away from the pump to stop the flow. This may have stopped the flow and reduced the amount of gasoline that spilled out. However, we do not recommend this since the hose can separate from the coupling resulting in a massive release of liquid and cause a huge inferno. The best approach is to go into the station and ask the attendant to hit the "All Stop" button or cut off the pumps.

We visited a Chevron station and found similar looking signs. One was on the hazards of gasoline and one was on portable containers. In our view these are not nearly enough to warn the public. They appear to be part of the pump nomenclature not caution or warning signs. They also do not state the needed facts about static, car re-entry or not removing the nozzle as we have promoted in previous articles. They are shown below.