Gas station catches fire, could have exploded
“The gas station could have exploded, and yet this is a residential area and it's near the road… this is due to careless actions by the gas station employee and the female driver involved in this matter,” said a concerned citizen, who was present when the Coconut Gas Station, located in Nu’uuli, caught on fire Saturday afternoon.
A witness, who asked not to be identified, told Samoa News, a female who was driving a company car pulled up for gas. The gas station employee asked the woman to pop the gas lid, which she did, and then he proceeded to place the gas nozzle into the car’s re-fueling area.
The woman told the employee to fill up the car under an account with their company. However, the employee informed the woman that the log, which lists the vehicles with accounts did not identify the vehicle she was driving.
The witness said, the employee gave the log to the woman to look at and when she gave it back to him, she drove away not knowing that the gas nozzle was inside the vehicle re-fueling area.
As a result, the whole gas pump was yanked away from its location and this caused the fire. Fortunately, the employee reacted immediately to put out the fire, but the gasoline was spilling so fast it reached the main road. “Luckily he was fast enough to put out the fire, or else it would have been a disaster,” the witness said.
The witness further said the employee fell flat on his back when running to turn off the electricity for the gas station and sustained injuries. Emergency Medical Services, fire fighters and the police were called for assistance.
The fire fighters sprayed the gas station and the main road with water and foam to prevent further fire and damage.
The employee was taken to LBJ hospital for treatment of his injuries.
The driver of the car was taken into police custody for questioning and was released, pending investigation into the “accident” to determine if further action is warranted.
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