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On May 13, 2021, a photograph supposedly showing the aftermath of a Hummer vehicle fire in Florida was circulated online along with claims that the driver had accidentally started the blaze after lighting a cigarette, which ignited the fuel tanks just loaded into the back of the vehicle due to a gas shortage in the area: As this picture circulated online, some were skeptical of its origins. After all, viral photographs supposedly showing people hoarding gasoline in plastic bags proved to be several years old. This picture, however, is both genuine and recent. It shows the aftermath of a vehicle fire in Florida in May 2021. We don't know the exact cause of the fire (if it was really started by the driver lighting a cigarette) but local news reports indicate that this Hummer was truly loaded with a few extra tanks of gasoline the driver had purchased amidst concerns of a gas shortage in the area. The Citrus County Chronicle reported that this incident occurred outside a Texaco Food Mart in Homosassa, Florida, on the morning of May 12. The official cause of the fire has not been announced, but the Citrus County Fire Rescue found four 5-gallon containers of gasoline in the back of the vehicle. A photograph from the fire department below shows the charred gas containers in the back of the vehicle. One person was injured. While the severity of this person's injuries aren't known, the Citrus County Chronicle noted that the person refused to be transported to a hospital against medical advice. This fire took place about a week after the Colonial Pipeline, an oil pipeline that serves much of the Southeastern United States, shut down its operation after experiencing a ransomware attack. This interruption in service led to some people buying and hoarding excess gasoline, which further exacerbated the gas shortage issue in the area.
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