Kia Soul Explodes Thanks To Compressed Air And A Lit Cigarette

Cigarettes are bad for your health, but lighting one up doesn't usually blow up your car. A series of unfortunate events caused exactly that to happen in Gamewell, North Carolina. Both occupants, including a child, survived, though one was hospitalized for burns, reports the Charlotte Observer. Officials did not identify either occupant, nor clarify which of them was hospitalized.

On the evening of June 12, a red Kia Soul was driving past the Gamewell Superette gas station and convenience store. Local residents and business owners heard the loud explosion. WSOC shared security camera video from the Superette showing the badly damaged Kia pulling in. A man then climbs out the front passenger window, Dukes of Hazzard style, most likely because the door is too damaged to open.

The Gamewell Fire Department is right next door to the Superette and responded immediately, with help from Lenoir, the next town over. Despite the explosion, there was no fire, even in the footage of the Kia parking at the Superette immediately afterward. Emergency medical services treated the injuries, and firefighters investigated the cause of the explosion.

It turns out that the child in the back seat had been playing with a can of compressed air, the type you use to blow dust out of computer keyboards, using it to clean the inside of the car. Air is not explosive in itself, but "canned air" isn't actually air. County officials told the Charlotte Observer that the spray was "a duster-type product that contained propane, Isobutane, n-Butane, and Hydrocarbon propellent." The Kia's windows were closed, trapping this mixture of flammable gases inside the cabin. When the driver lit his cigarette, the lighter ignited the mixture, causing the explosion.

According to Tech Spray, most consumer-grade air dusters contain HFC-152a, also known as 1,1-difluoroethane. Cameo Chemicals adds that it ignites easily, and that a flame can travel back to the source of a leak, causing it to explode. It might as well have been a leaking propane tank, which has a similar effect. HFC-152a can also cause frostbite on contact with skin, as well as suffocation if inhaled. A can of spray air may seem harmless, but it's definitely something a child should not play with, especially inside an enclosed vehicle.

Industrial-grade compressed air cans usually use HFC-134a instead. It's non-flammable, and can be used inside operational electrical equipment because an accidental spark won't ignite it. (If that name sounds familiar, it's because it's the same compound used in automotive air conditioning systems.) HFC-152a is used in consumer spray air applications because it's less expensive, even though it's flammable and less safe.