Smoking is injurious to health but carelessness can probably end lives. This was on full display in a video shared on social media platform X. The video begins with something that can be seen in any bylane of a small city, just a couple people chit-chatting their time away at roadside. A couple two-wheeler vehicles can be seen parked nearby.
Time seems to pass slowly as people walk by the chatting duo which seems pretty relaxed in their body language. All seems well.
It's just a matter of couple seconds after which the chilled-out vibe in the video goes out of the window to make way for a frenzy in a situation that appears straight from hell.
One of the men from the chitty-chatty pair decides to pepper the conversation with some smokey bliss.
He lights a beedi and casually throws the (still partially lit) matchstick into a puddle of 'water'. In his mind, he was probably being a responsible citizen. He was dumping a lit matchstick in water after all.
It was not water, but a trail of petrol.
The picture of blissful moments he had in mind certainly didn't include flames of fire that threatened to burn him to a crisp.
Check out the video.
The video is being widely shared on social media. It is being posted that the incident is from Kalyanadurgam town in Anantapur District in Andhra Pradesh.
It appears that a man, not seen in the video, was responsible for the mayhem. He had reportedly purchased five litres of fuel and while he rode his vehicle, the can burst, leaving a considerable trail of the flammable liquid. A bike immediately caught fire because of it and the man standing next to the beedi smoker was seen trying to stop it from being engulfed completely.
Quick presence of mind by nearby locals and residents managed to douse the flames with water, ensuring it does not turn out to be a big disaster.
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But of course the smoker is equally responsible. It is definitely not a good idea to dump a lit matchstick carelessly.
The fire reportedly engulfed nearby shops and vehicles but locals acted quickly and brought the flames under control.