Car wash for free?!?

nice. first Comment!

Boom.

This is absolutely hilarious!

The only thing that would make this better would be sound.

@Applerain: Why comment at all Douche-Fag.

It can't have been good to inhale that from those Halon dischargers.

^ halon is not good for humans. That little prank probably cost the gas station $10,000 if not more.

I can has some water?

lets see how many posters make a comment about how they think its water

Couldn't get the audio at work - do we know it was a prank, or was it just a malfunction caught on the security camera?

The only things that fire alarm is missing are a Christmas tree, some lights and a Mistletoe.

@pizzlepaps:
Not everyone is an expert on extinguishing of fires and there isn't anything saying otherwise on this page.
Lay off.

jackdawslove.com

A couple comments, I don't know "fancy" gas station this was at but you can bet money they don't have anything like that here in good ole' Indiana. Which is ironic since I don't know how many rednecks I see SMOKING at the gas station.

They don't use Halon anymore, specifically because it CAN asphyxiate you. At the secure data center I use to work at you could trigger the fire suppression system and it would actually put out the fire without killing anyone. In fact the sales guy who sold us the system showed us a video of people having a conversation while the room filled with fire suppressing gas. You could watch their cigarettes go out, but they just kept on talking with each other. Admittedly, he didn't recommend staying in the room too long. It likely has other "side-effects."

@EBone: It looks like it was done by the dullard in the stripped shirt. He was curious about what the big red button does that's marked "In case of fire: PUSH"

My first thought watching the haze clear and the absence of people was "cool, acid bath". Unfortunately stripey then waltzed back into the frame to ruin my mental imagery.

@Applerain: You're on the wrong site, buddy. Perez is that way --->

BANHAMMER

It's certianly not water and probably not halon. Halon = gas and would disperse too quickly outdoors. It's likely a dry-chemical system. But hey, what the hell do I know.

This would definitely make for an amusing spectacle if you could manage to trigger it from afar...

weeeeeeeeeeee!

@EBone: Are you sure they use halon? Halon is a colorless/oderless gas that is used to displace oxygen. That's why it's used in places like computer datacenters. It doesn't leave a residue on the computer equipment and can quickly displace all the oxygen in an enclosed environment. This looks to me like a the extinguishers were using a dry chemical powder that's meant to act as a barrier between a fire and its fuel source. It's the same stuff in most common dry chemical extinguishers. I doubt they'd use halon to pressurize the system since it's much more expensive than carbon dioxide and would likely provide the same result as co2. Of course breathing in the dry chemical powder isn't going to be very good for you either...

@EBone: Most security cams don't record sound. Especially ones in outdoor housings...

@Applerain: I'm embarrassed that you're a Mac person. Applerain::Mac people = Hippies::Democratic Party ......makes the rest of the bunch look terrible. Banhammer boom.

@TVGenius: I thought there might be some kind of narration with the video, done post-recording and pre-posting.

Here's a little trick for you all. Take some gas, pour it on asphalt. Then throw a lit cigarette into the gas. Nothing will happen. Guaranteed.

It's usually vapors that blow stations, and even then only when it has the correct ratio.

I just wonder how damaging that stuff was too inhale. I'd hope my local gas stations have systems like that, I just don't want to be anywhere near it when it goes off.
As for using it in a prank, that sounds like a really bad idea, and highly illegal as well.

@DestroyerMTL: The same can also probably said for you. Didn't your mother every tell you that if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all?

That being said, whoo-hoo, that was neat.

@ILikeMacsWhatAboutIT: Sounds like you buy way too much into sterotypes, and care way too much what people think or don't think.

Looks like fun, I should do that sometime. I'd of course stand in the middle and go "Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" the whole time.

that...was...AWESOME!....sorry bout your car man

at the very end... was that guy trying to push the button again?

Wow, could have been way worse. Imagine, windows open with infant in child seat. Now my two-year-old is coated in fire suppressive powder. Most likely up his nose, in his mouth, in his lungs. I'd be f-ing furious.

I wonder how many times they uttered the "shit!" and "FUks!" words.

@DestroyerMTL: Easy does it.

Douche was fine.

@videoCWK; gimmie a snorkel and mask and im right behindja

Does halon work in an open, outside environment?

@newgalactic:

I understand your concern as well.. I actually kind of wonder what the risk is of children asphyxiating from these chemical gas powders, as opposed to adults.

But of course, the risks themselves are far outweighed by the whole burning alive thing.. That being said, its easier to save a child from choking and asphyxiation than from severe burn wounds.

If you do feel the need, you can always take some courses in CPR and Life support, I myself have just finished advanced life support and advanced CPR now!

Yes I am in medical school, but even if I wasnt it would be the best decision I ever made..

@mach1andy: I highly doubt that's water.

@gotenki: its only illegal if they catch you! Who wants to help me not get caught?

@IphtashuFitz: THANK YOU. for being the voice of reason here. and you didn't even use the word 'banhammer' which gives you extra points.

@Gary_7vn: What usually causes big fire at stations, if anything is idiots pulling the nozzel out of their tank when they see fire. This starts spraying gas everywhere.

As for "blowing stations", it's nearly impossible. There are at most four pumps at any given station. Actually, there is one pump per underground tank so, some may have more or less. When a fire happens, it would take A LOT of failures for the fire to make it's way back into the UST's. Once you hit the kill switch, or the fire alarm is activated, the pumps lock down, and only about one gallon remains in the dispensers. Like I said, it's people who whip the nozzle out while it's still pumping who spray gas everywhere and catch other things on fire.

And no, this is not halon. This is the same stuff restaurants use, which I think go by the names Ansul or PyroChem. They allow the fires to be put out, but clean up amazingly well.

Does this Gas station have a Car wash? Shower? I would be a tad unhappy.

Free Gas maybe?

@Applerain: second and I foresee a possible ban coming your way. In other news, That is pretty sweet seeing how it works first hand, make me want to pull that on April 1st coming up, maybe on one of those smokers there after I ask nicely for them to put out their ciggy.

@bbfreak: So much depends on reputation - Guard it with your life. Law #5.

#9 in my 10 Part Series: Why You'd Be Better Off Never Going to the Gas Station Ever Again.

For those curious, #10 was "Because AM/PM Coffee Really Sucks".

Foam-covered dumbass for the win.

Holy crap, the guy in the jacket got vaporized! No sign of him anywhere!!!

i remember when i was a kid i realized that's what those nozzles on the ceiling of the gas station were for, but this is nowhere as cool as it had played out in my mind.

That my friends, THAT is what can ruin your day. On a side note, it is true as the above commenter said that the cause of most gas station fires are dumbasses making static sparks off of their pants or seats and then yanking out the nozzle to save their 95 Jeep Cherokee, thus spraying a flaming trail of gas across everyone else. The solution? Deport all dumbasses to a small island and let them die out.

Oh, gizmodo always wanting to pull pranks from afar, like at CES 08'.

Here's a link that answers a few questions, and maybe raises a few more. A CBS report from 04 that claims a cell phone ignited "vapors". The fire was put out by a "fire suppressing powder".

It's an odd story since I thought the cell phone fire starting thing had been debunked.

[www.cbsnews.com]

Oy vey! Maybe a cell phone can cause fires! This is a bad one. There is no sound either but it's not hard to imagine the soundtrack for this one.

[www.liveleak.com]

@Applerain: Actually, it was a nice first comment, too bad it wasn't yours douche!

I've only been on the internets since 93, so I am not sure what applerain did? Not defending him or attacking him, just curious. I know it was a lame pointless comment, but, ahem, we see lots of those that don't get a reaction.
Anyone?

@Gary_7vn:
Saying things like "first post" or "first comment" are against gawker media rules for forum etiquette.
Not only is it unnecessary and irrelevant; it usually doesn't end up being "first" and thus makes oneself look like more of an ass for saying it.

dont you think 3/4 of that video was useless? people we are paying the evilgoogle by wasting space!

@Applerain: EPIC FAIL.

yes, if you had MASSIVE amounts of halon, it could potentially work outdoors, and halon is the best fire extinguiser, with foam and co2 following behind, dry chemical is really terrible, if you ever have to use one you might as well let the fire burn whatever is around since you wont be using it after dumping that can of mono ammonium phosphate, it corrodes anything and everything, and is terrible on your lungs.

Not entirely sure why they have the nozzles on the ceiling part, I would have thought that in a real fire bomb situation the roof would be 100m up in the air thus severing the foam/asphyxiating gas thing and making it spray straight into the air from the ground, rendering it useless.