I declare war on lighter fluid!

[Duke]

I don't think it should be outlawed because it should be a choice, but people need to be educated on safer ways to light a kettle. I feel sorry for this guy and hope he will grill on a Weber again one day. This could happen to anyone or forbid someone we know and love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RH89TX7h-oA

[Hogsy]

[DoppelBock]

He must have dumped a whole can on there, I cannot imagine what else would have caused the explosion that poor guy experienced.

[1buckie]

Weird, it almost seems like a propane explosion the way they're talking about it.....

But all the units seem to be charcoal, maybe I missed something....

I feel for the guy still the same, burns are no joke, had a few over the years....

[HankB]

There are a number of possibilities. Ordinarily charcoal lighter fluid is safe if used as directed. However if he splashed some on his clothes and then lit what was in the grill, he could have ignited his clothing. Had he put lighter fluid on a hot grill, it would vaporize rapidly producing a cloud of flammable vapors. Or he could have been using something much more dangerous like gasoline. Can't rule out the possibility that he was experimenting. A friend lost a son when he lit some black powder in a backyard BBQ. The powder flashed and caused extensive burns that led to his death 6 hours later. (His son was in his mid 20s at the time - not an impulsive teenager.)

It seems clear that he had some on his clothing and provided a source of ignition. These are terrible mistakes to make and can extract a heavy price.

In a similar vein, I cringe when I see a Weber on a wood deck or inside a screen porch. That's just too close to burning the house down for my comfort. I had a cook going when a terrible storm hit (which left us without power for 3 days) and hesitated to pull my cooker into the door of my garage. I did, finished the cook without leaving it and pulled back out when done.

I hope that news of this causes others to think twice and avoid the same mistake.

Disclaimer: I worked for a several years as a combustion engineer at a major steel mill and also ran as a paid-on-call firefighter in two communities for about ten years.

[TheFinkFarm]

I've seen Myron Mixon squirt a QUART of lighter fluid on mounds of charcoal.  I think he must have got a lot on his clothing, or used gasoline ( which I have seen this done before, 1 time).
I know a couple people personally that have had propane grills burn them bad.

[Craig]

That is terrible. Hits close to home. My then 5 year old niece suffered massive burns from falling into a fire ring/pit and spent a month in the same Iowa City burn unit 3 years ago. Her legs are scarred and they had to use skin grafts from her scalp. As for the lighter fluid, I stopped using that in favor of the chimney/wax cubes about 4 years ago. I didn't like the stuff even when I was using it. But yes, lighter fluid, when used as directed is safe per se. There needs to be more education out there. Prayers are with him.

Craig