Pop quiz! Suppose you have a van with an engine that’s having trouble getting fuel to the carburetor. Do you: a) Take it into the shop for repair? b) Google the problem and attempt to fix it yourself at home? c) Remove the engine cowling between the front two seats, then use an open bucket and a water bottle to pour gasoline into the carburetor while driving?If you answered c, then you are probably the one of the three folks whose van exploded in Bellevue on Thursday, leaving all three burned and one whose leg got run over. And really, we’re glad you all are well enough to take the quiz. As KOMO reports, the group was having a difficult time keeping their Ford Econline van puttering around. It seemed to not be getting enough gas.So they went to a gas station and filled a large open bucket with two gallons of gasoline, then removed the cowling on the inside of the van that separates the cabin from the open engine. Now, as the van was cruising down the road, one of the passengers used a water bottle to dip into the bucket, then pour the fuel directly into the carburetor.This is not advised.And soon enough the van went boom. Here’s what was left of it after the explosion.Two of the victims are said to have serious burns; one apparently has minor burns and a leg injury from when the van drove over it as she tried to leap to safety. We hope they’re OK.We also hope they’ve learned not to try and spoonfeed a vehicle as if it were a hungry infant.
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