PHOTO COURTESY OF MARJORIE MARIANO A fire broke out yesterday at the Kahala Chevron Station after a taxi driver left his car unattended with the dispensing nozzle jammed in the "open" position.

Fire hits
Kahala Chevron

A taxi driver bypassed a safety
feature while filling up his car
and overflowing gasoline
accidentally ignited

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By Lisa Asato
lasato@starbulletin.com

A taxi driver who bypassed a safety feature while filling up his Lincoln Town Car probably contributed to a fire that destroyed his car and came close to setting the entire Kahala Chevron gas station on fire, the fire department said.

Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. Richard Soo said a taxi driver put a gas cap in the handheld pump to keep it going while he went to the minimart for a coffee at around 7 a.m. yesterday.

When he turned around, "his car was in flames," Soo said. The man suffered second-degree burns to his left hand and minor burns to his right hand when he removed the nozzle.

"When he (the taxi driver) dropped the nozzle there was gas still dropping out of the nozzle and spreading out to another pump island," Soo said.

He praised a gas station attendant who got to an emergency gas shut off and was able to keep the fire from spreading.

"Ultimately the thing could have had an explosion or totally ignited and things could have got really out of hand," he said.

DEAN SENSUI / DSENSUI@STARBULLETIN.COM Chevron dealer Barney Robinson, left, looked at the wreckage yesterday while Honolulu Fire Department investigator Warren Iseke consulted with Chevron maintenance mechanics James McBrayer and Glen Hobbs.

Two gas pumps were also damaged for a loss of about $100,000, Soo said.

The station was able to resume selling gas at about 6 p.m. last night with the undamaged pumps.

Soo said the incident is a reminder to be careful when dealing with highly flammable substances like gasoline and not to leave a gas pump running unattended.

"You should (not bypass) the safety feature of these self-service nozzles," Soo said.

He said the fire may have begun when the tank overfilled and gas started running down the side of the car and found a heat source such as static electricity in the atmosphere or a hot muffler.

The man, who was in his 40s, was taken by ambulance to Straub Clinic & Hospital, where he was treated and released, Soo said.

Firefighters responding to the fire at 4117 Waialae Ave. had the fire under control at 7:15 a.m.