Car Bursts Into Flames After Cigarette Smoking Driver Uses Hand Sanitizer

A driver was lucky to avoid serious injuries after their car exploded into flames. The driver was parked in a shopping plaza in Rockville, Maryland while smoking a cigarette inside their vehicle. While they were smoking, they decided to clean their hands using hand sanitizer.

The hand sanitizer and the lit cigarette caused the car the burst into flames. The fire department arrived and put out the flames, but not before the car was completely destroyed. The driver, who has not been identified, suffered minor burns and was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Pete Piringer, public information officer for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, posted photos of the burned-out car on Twitter. He warned that smoking and using hand sanitizer is "a bad combo in unventilated area like a car."

He also shared an overhead video of the burning car that was captured by a local news helicopter.

Photo: Getty Images