Sorry to all the smokers out there, but smoke so stupid. It’s especially stupid when you do it around things that can kill you even faster than cigarettes. Like something Maybe explode. One man learned that lesson the hard way but surprisingly survived. Los Angeles news store reported that a man blew himself up and his Toyota 4Runner after lighting a cigarette while carrying a propane canister into the vehicle.
The incident happened at around 10:00 p.m. on May 23 in the parking lot of Van Nuys grocery store. Authorities arrived at the scene and discovered the 4Runner was completely destroyed, with debris scattered throughout the parking lot. It appeared to have been brought down by a missile attack. According to people living in the area who spoke to CBS Los Angeles, the explosion was so loud that it could be heard in all directions.
The sound of the explosion could be heard at least a few blocks away, according to a man who lives near the parking lot, who said it was “like an earthquake shaking windows.”
“But it was gone as soon as it started,” Ken Smith said, adding that he looked out his window and saw neighbors standing outside their homes and looking around after the loud bang.
Surprisingly, the man inside the 4Runner survived the explosion. When authorities arrived, he explained to them that he was lighting a cigarette when the SUV exploded. Authorities said the man had been living in the 4Runner and was carrying small propane canisters found in the vehicle’s debris. The man was taken to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries. And despite the size and scale of the explosion, no other vehicles in the parking lot were damaged.
