Gas station employees say they are lucky to be alive after someone sets their store on fire

In the early hours of Thursday morning, firefighters responded to a fire at the Valero gas station on Buckner Boulevard.

According to Dallas Fire investigators, the fire was started by a customer using gas from a gas can while employees were present inside the station.

Employee Roshan Maharjan expressed gratitude for being rescued, stating, “I want to thank God for the second life you know… I’m thankful for the life.”

Maharjan recounted the harrowing experience, mentioning that he had just helped people out of the store when an explosion occurred. He emphasized how fortunate he was to have narrowly escaped the blast, saying, “The moment I stepped out the door the building blew up. If it was like two seconds later I would be dead.”

While Dallas Fire has not provided many details about the suspect, store manager Angel Thapa claimed they recognized the individual responsible. According to Thapa, the suspect was a former employee who had been terminated a few days prior.

Thapa explained that the suspect’s presence in the store initially didn’t raise alarms, as he appeared to be purchasing gas. However, the situation escalated when the suspect returned and began pouring gas throughout the store.

“He walked in and he started pouring gas all over the store,” Thapa recounted. “He brings a gas tank near the cooler where the coolers are at and he would set the whole tank on fire. After that everything started blasting and the whole store caught in fire less than two minutes.”

The fire caused significant damage inside the store, resulting in several employees losing their jobs. Thapa expressed sadness over the situation, particularly for the financial strain it would cause his employees who were already facing challenges.

“It’s really sad… a lot of my employees lost their job as well,” Thapa lamented. “With the job business being super low right now everybody’s struggling. They’re struggling financially and they’re going to college at the same time so, it’s going to be really tough for them and for me as well.”

Thapa indicated that it might take several months before the store is able to reopen.