Gas has become a premium over the past few days as a pipeline shutdown has sent drivers into a frenzy to fill up their tanks.
Photos on social media show long lines with people filling up cars, portable gas containers — and plastic bags.
One video on social media with millions of views, which we have not independently verified, shows woman at a gas pump carrying a plastic bag with what looks like gasoline.
Now, the US Consumer Product Safety Commissioner has come out and said don’t do it.
“We know this sounds simple, but when people get desperate they stop thinking clearly. They take risks that can have deadly consequences. If you know someone who is thinking about bringing a container not meant for fuel to get gas, please let them know it’s dangerous,” they wrote on social media.
The Colonial Pipeline, whose operator is based right here in Alpharetta, Georgia, is one of the nation’s largest sources of fuel and remains mostly shut down after a cyberattack.
It runs from Texas to New Jersey, carrying more than 100 million barrels of fuel every day. That’s everything from gasoline to heating oil and jet fuel that supplies Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. It’s responsible for almost half of the entire East Coast’s fuel supply.