‘I should be dead right now’: Man who was left badly burned when his car EXPLODED after he sprayed £7.99 air freshener before lighting a cigarette says vehicle was like a ‘primed bomb’
- Carl Fisher, 29, sprayed £7.99 ‘new car’ scented air freshener then lit a cigarette
- Spray from the aerosol ignited and caused a huge blast which buckled the doors
- When the flames died down, Mr Fisher was able to climb through the window
Carl Fisher, 29, was left with severe burns to his hands and face after he sprayed an aerosol air freshener before lighting a cigarette, causing a huge explosion in his car. Pictured: Mr Fisher before the incident
A man was left with burns to his hands and face after he sprayed an aerosol air freshener before lighting a cigarette, causing a huge explosion in his car.
Carl Fisher, 29, sprayed a £7.99 ‘new car’ scented air freshener before lighting a Benson & Hedges cigarette around ten minutes later in Halifax, West Yorkshire.
Spray from the aerosol ignited and caused a huge blast which blew out the windscreen, buckled the doors and damaged windows on nearby offices.
Mr Fisher, in shock, was able to climb through the window of his black Seat.
He was transported to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary in an ambulance and later moved to a specialist burns unit.
Mr Fisher told The Sun: ‘I should be dead right now.’
He added: ‘I was literally driving around in a primed bomb and I didn’t have a clue until I went to light a Benson & Hedges and it went off.’
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the ‘dramatic’ incident was ‘excessive’ air freshener use.
The damaged black Seat car was pictured (above) in Halifax town centre with damaged doors and windows after the aerosol explosion
Police said the blast was caused by a lit cigarette after aerosol freshener was used, causing debris to be sprayed across the road and even damaging nearby businesses
At the time, the force wrote on Facebook: ‘Shortly after 3pm this afternoon Fountain Street, Halifax, had to be closed due to an exploded aerosol can.
‘The fumes exploded and blew out his windscreen, along with some windows at nearby business premises.
‘The owner fortunately sustained only minor injuries but this could have been worse.’
The force added: ‘Please can members of the public be careful and follow guidelines when using air freshener cans?’
Mr Fisher, in shock, was able to climb through the window of his black Seat (pictured)