He did nothing but light a cigarette in his car after spraying maybe a tad too much air freshener in the vehicle, which instantaneously resulted in an early 2000s hot hatch to literally become a hot hatch for a split second.
Subsequently, gas from the aerosol spray can ignited, blowing out the car's windshield, every window and pretty much dismantling the entire car in the process. The explosion was apparently so powerful that it even damaged windows from nearby businesses on the street that the car was parked on.
The driver simply climbed out of the car and was treated by paramedics but for reasons yet unknown he sustained only minor injuries, which probably include prolonged tinnitus.
The event happened in Halifax in West Yorkshire, UK, and the man was attended by the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, who also closed down the street fearing a terrorism attack or other explosions.
"The owner of a car parked on that street and had used an air freshener can but not ventilated his car before lighting his cigarette," West Yorkshire Police said.
"The fumes exploded and blew out his windscreen, along with some windows at nearby business premises. The owner fortunately sustained only minor injuries but this could have been worse."
Following the incident, authorities and common sense in general urge people to read the safety warnings on product labels before using them, such as “never use aerosol cans near an open flame or vice versa.” Like we said, it's not the first time this has happened and the results are always similar. Not to mention that the first-generation SEAT Leon Cupra is somewhat of a modern classic.
A car explosion in Halifax Town Centre. What an enormous bang. I was in an adjacent bar.
— Craig Chew-Moulding (@CraigMoulding) December 14, 2019
Emergency services on scene in moments @WYFRS @WYP_Halifax @CMBC_CSRT @YorksAmbulance
Unbelievably the driver just climbed out. Thankfully there appears to be no injuries. #Calderdale pic.twitter.com/1yQkbndIjn