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Man blows up his car by lighting cigarette after spraying air freshener

A damaged vehicle is shown after an explosion on Dec. 14, 2019 in Halifax, U.K. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service

A U.K. driver is on the market for something with that new car smell after accidentally blowing up his old vehicle with a cigarette and a few too many spritzes of air freshener, police say.

The explosion happened inside a car in Halifax, in the county of West Yorkshire, England on Saturday afternoon, according to a news release from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The unidentified man sprayed “excessive” amounts of an aerosol air freshener inside his car, then lit up a cigarette that ignited the aerosol, firefighters told BBC News. He was reportedly stopped in traffic at the time of the explosion.

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“The fumes exploded and blew out his windscreen, along with some windows at nearby business premises,” the Halifax detachment of West Yorkshire Police wrote on Facebook.

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The driver sustained minor injuries, “but this could have been worse,” police said.

The road was closed “due to an aerosol can discharge” but later reopened.

Police said the incident should be a reminder to members of the public.

“Be careful and follow guidelines when using air freshener cans,” they wrote.

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