---
title: "Florida Couple Hauling Propane Grill in Their Kia Light Cigarette, Blow Up Car"
description: "Tip of the summer: Turn off the grill before loading it into your car."
date: "2017-08-14"
modified: "2017-08-15"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/article/13471/florida-couple-hauling-propane-grill-in-their-kia-light-cigarette-blow-up-car"
categories:
  - "Kia News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
tags:
  - "Accident"
  - "explosion"
  - "Florida"
  - "Kia"
  - "kia sorrento"
  - "Smoking"
---

# Florida Couple Hauling Propane Grill in Their Kia Light Cigarette, Blow Up Car

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/08/kia.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Don't let Hank Hill hear this story. A husband and wife in Florida were injured on Sunday when they left a gas grill on before loading it into their Kia Sorrento, which later [exploded](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/13397/georgia-man-escapes-burning-mercedes-benz-trapped-under-powerlines>) after the woman lit a cigarette and sparked the fumes, according to the Orlando Police Department. [That is not good propane safety](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FA__4fLBos>).

[*WESH* reports](<https://www.wesh.com/article/two-hurt-when-gas-grill-explodes-in-car-at-fairgrounds-police-say/12005031>) that police say the couple were leaving a barbecue at the Central Florida Fairgrounds in Orlando when the incident occurred. They neglected to turn off both the burners and the gas valve at the tank when they loaded it into the back of the Sorrento—*why* is a question that goes unanswered—leaving the grill burning and quickly filling the car with propane.

As they neared the exit, the woman lit a cigarette, sparking an explosion that blew out the side of the [Kia](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/12307/watch-the-kia-stinger-lay-waste-to-its-rear-tires>) and caused the driver to crash into a pole. Orlando Police said in a tweet that the couple received non-life-threatening burns and were taken to a local hospital. Looking at the damage, it's safe to say they're lucky to be alive.

There's still a few weeks of summer left, so we at *The Drive* just want everyone out there to remember to, you know, turn the grill off before you throw it in the old family hauler.

https://twitter.com/_/status/896841020159217664

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)