Gas pump catches fire

Published 10:25 am Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Ian McNett of Franklin accidentally backed his car into a gas pump causing a fire to ignite at Sunoco on Armory Drive on Sunday morning. -- SUBMITTED | CARLTON CUTCHIN

Ian McNett of Franklin accidentally backed his car into a gas pump causing a fire to ignite at Sunoco on Armory Drive on Sunday morning. — SUBMITTED | CARLTON CUTCHIN

FRANKLIN
Nobody was hurt after an elderly Franklin man backed into a gas pump at the Sunoco on Armory Drive at approximately 8:55 on Sunday morning. However, the accident did cause an explosion.

Capt. Tim Whitt of the Franklin Police Department said that Ian McNett, 81, of Franklin, accidentally hit the gas pedal instead of the brake on his four-door 2000 Mercury Sedan while in reverse, knocking over the gas pump and causing a fire to ignite.

Significant damage was caused to the car and the gas pump involved in the fire at Sunoco on Sunday morning.

Significant damage was caused to the car and the gas pump involved in the fire at Sunoco on Sunday morning.

Carlton Cutchin of Ace Hardware was at Sunoco at the time of the explosion. He did not see the accident happen, however he did see the explosion.

“His foot just slipped and he ran right into in reverse,” Cutchin said after talking to McNett.

The accident caused significant damage to McNett’s car and to the pump. Franklin Fire and Rescue responded to the call and extinguished the fire.

McNett is not being charged as a result of the incident.