CHARLOTTE, N.C. — We expect temperatures to drop this weekend, and if you have to fill up your gas tank, you're probably feeling cold just thinking about it.
We had a viewer, Colin M, email us claiming he saw someone leave their car running while getting gas.
THE QUESTION:
Can you pump gas while the engine is running?
THE ANSWER:
No, you shouldn't pump gas while your engine is running. Firestone Complete Auto Care said even though it's rare for your car to catch on fire that way, it is better to be safe than sorry.
OUR SOURCES:
WHAT WE FOUND:
According to the National Fire Protection Association, the spontaneous combustion temperature of gasoline is 536F. Firestone Complete Auto Care said exhaust components like catalytic converters can see temperatures of up to 800 to 1000F.
Catalytic converters are located underneath your vehicle. However, according to Firestone Complete Auto Care, gasoline vapors are denser in the air so they sink to the lowest point they can find, which could be underneath your vehicle.
This is why Undercoffler said you should play it safe and just turn off the car.
"It doesn't take long to turn off your car, even if it's really cold in terms of safety. Yeah, I would turn it off," Undercoffler said.
According to the latest data from the NFPA, from 2015 through 2018, local fire departments responded to around 4,150 fires at gas stations each year.
More than half of these calls were for vehicle fires.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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