This Fiery Explosion Happened at Barnes & Noble in Texas

Amarillo is a pretty crazy place at times, that's a given. But in this ever-connected world, no matter how inconspicuous an occurrence is, chances are you are going to hear about it. Whether it be through word-of-mouth, social media outlets, or the good old-fashioned news not much seems to fly under the radar when it comes to the general public.

Well, except for this explosion that happened at Barnes & Nobles. .

Several weeks ago, a user by the handle u/AffectionateTap6212 on the subreddit r/amarillo posted a video a fiery scene outside of Barnes & Nobles The 39-second clip shows a car on fire with the familiar intersection of Soncy and I-40 in the background. .

According to the original poster, an explosion was heard from outside the bookstore. The source of the ruckus was a black Hyundai parked outside that quickly became engulfed in flames. Thankfully the owners of the car were not inside the vehicle and the Amarillo Fire Department was able to put out the fire in a speedy fashion before any further damage was done.

But I have questions. Many questions.

What Caused The Fire?

The reasons behind why the fire is unknown but there are a couple of theories about how this could have happened.

The first could be foul play from an outsider. But a busy bookstore is a tad too public for nefarious misdeeds to be the case.

The second theory relates to the make of the car. According to the poster of the original video, the car that caught fire was a Hyundai which could mean that there may have been a potential defection in the car itself.

Since this is the more reasonable option, I got curious and started poking around to see if the statement held water. According to an article by Consumer Reports, in 2022 alone, Hyundai and Kia recalled over 1.2 million vehicles due to fire risks that correlated with faulty parts from a common manufacturer.

In fact, this caught my eye:

"In some cases, the automakers have been unable to immediately address the underlying issues and have instructed owners to park their vehicles outside and away from structures to minimize property damage if the vehicles catch fire."

Jeez Louise.

In the same Consumer Reports article, it does mention that there is a class action suit settlement currently being worked out in court. Once there is an agreed upon sum of money, claims can be submitted. If the car that caught fire in front of Barnes & Nobles is indeed a recalled Hyundai...whew, I hope the owner of the vehicle gets in on that suit.