Driver lucky to be alive after he blew up his car in freak accident caused by lighting a cigarette and spraying deodorant at the same time

  • A Maryland man is lucky to be alive after he sprayed himself with aerosol deodorant and then lit a cigarette while sitting in his car, causing it to explode
  • Local police said the driver had started his car and turned on the air conditioning
  • He then rolled down the windows of his car and sprayed the deodorant. Afterward, he lit a cigarette 
  • That ignited an explosion that blew the car doors open, shattered the front window, and even dislodged the roof 
  • The driver miraculously was not seriously hurt - coming away with just minor burns 

By ARIEL ZILBER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Published: | Updated:

A Baltimore County man is lucky to be alive on Thursday after he sprayed himself with aerosol deodorant and then lit a cigarette while sitting in his car, causing it to explode.

Local police said the driver started his car and turned on the air conditioning.

He then rolled down the windows of his car and sprayed the deodorant. Afterward, he lit a cigarette.

That ignited an explosion that blew the car doors open, shattered the front window, and even dislodged the roof.

A Baltimore County man is lucky to be alive on Thursday after he sprayed himself with aerosol deodorant and then lit a cigarette while sitting in his car, causing it to explode

A Baltimore County man is lucky to be alive on Thursday after he sprayed himself with aerosol deodorant and then lit a cigarette while sitting in his car, causing it to explode

The driver miraculously was not seriously hurt. He suffered minor burns and was taken to the hospital, where he was checked for potential hearing damage

The driver miraculously was not seriously hurt. He suffered minor burns and was taken to the hospital, where he was checked for potential hearing damage

'I would say it would be best to describe as a sudden and violent expansion of the air molecules in that vehicle,' Baltimore County Police spokeswoman Jennifer Peach told The Baltimore Sun.

'The aerosolized deodorant was inside of the car, created a flammable atmosphere, which he was not aware of, and then when he lit his cigarette, he created a spark for the explosion to occur,' said Baltimore County Fire Department battalion chief Rob Kemp.

The driver miraculously was not seriously hurt. He suffered minor burns and was taken to the hospital, where he was checked for potential hearing damage.

The explosion happened just a few feet away from a store in Woodlawn, Maryland.

'[I was] inside, working, taking care of customers and we just heard a loud explosion-type boom,' Jeff Heckel, the manager of the nearby Restaurant Store, told WJZ-TV.

'There was no flames or anything, just a very loud explosion. Shook the building.'   

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