several other people also start to record the growing fire. the flames get higher. the smoke, thicker. >> the police and everyone started to get a little worried about the amount of people that were standing, just watching and filming. >> the chaotic scene spirals out of control. >> it's going. it's going! >> then the flames reach a massive amount of fuel and the gas station erupts. >> i've never seen anything that big. it was a bit of a shock and sort of stunned me for a second to see such a big fireball go straight up. >> before the blast, simpson is about 40 feet from the huge cloud of fire. it seemed like a safe distance.