Bay View BP Fire: Woman Says Stranger Looking For A Ride Placed A Fuel Pail On Passenger’s Lap

A woman in a hell-bound car at a Napier gas station says the fire started after a stranger trying to hitchhike placed a fuel bucket on another passenger’s lap.

Police say it is “nothing short of a miracle” that the subsequent fire at Bay View BP, about six miles north of Napier, on Friday night did not injure or kill anyone.

Nearby residents were evacuated during the fire that caused significant damage to the BP esplanade.

A passenger, from Napier, has taken to Facebook to say she was traveling in the car linked to the fire. Hawke’s Bay Today did not name her after she received more abuse online after sharing her story online.

The open fuel bucket came from a stranger who had been trying to hitchhike with his friends.

She has shared her side of the story in response to negative comments on social media, asking what the three people in the car were doing at the time of the fire.

The woman responded to the comments, saying that she and her friends did not know the “random man” they found on Friday.

“[He had] nothing to do with us, “said the woman.

The woman explained that she had left the vehicle parked Friday night and was heading to the restrooms at the gas station when she noticed a man “waving cash” and asking for a ride while pointing to his gas.

“I said, ‘We’re in those two cars over there, go ask them.’

The man approached a car and the occupants said no.

She then walked over to the second car, climbed into the back seat, and placed the fuel can on her friend’s lap. “Then boom,” the woman said.

Earlier, the Eastern District criminal investigations manager, Detective Inspector Rob Jones, had said: “The entire gas station yard was lit in minutes and it is a miracle that no one was injured or killed.”

Jones has confirmed that police have spoken to all three people in the car at the time of ignition, as well as other witnesses.

The investigation was still ongoing and police had yet to determine whether charges would be brought against the man, he said.

He thanked those who had provided images or links to images in support of the ongoing research.