A freak accident left an Ontario snowmobile driver with his pants aflame, his vehicle totalled and a gas station closed for repairs over the Family Day long weekend.

On Monday at around 4 p.m., a snowmobile filling up at a Petro Canada gas station in Seguin, Ontario, along the South Seguin Snowmobile Club route, ignited into flames. The resulting fireball caused extensive damage to both the snowmobile and the gas station and almost resulted in serious injury to the driver of the vehicle.

Around 4pm today a sled caught fire at the Petro-Can in Seguin along the SSSC. All the pumps are closed until inspection tomorrow. No injuries, but the operators snow pants caught fire, but he put the fire out pic.twitter.com/B8oeuZxrzu

— Muskoka411 News (@Muskoka411) February 20, 2024

Facebook user Kathy Marsden says that the sled in question was her husband's, explaining that "the pump overflowed and ran into the engine of the sled. Maybe the cutoff sensor was broken."

Marsden says that her husband is okay after the incident, "but not the sled or his pants."

"I can't believe how close the gas tank is to the engine on a sled," said Marsden, calling it "an accident waiting to happen."

Another user replied with a caution to other snowmobile drivers, saying, "never use the pump lock when filling a sled and never sit on it at the same time. Doesn't take much of a spill to bring gas and vapours down to a hot exhaust or turbo."

A clip posted shortly after the blaze was extinguished by firefighters shows the extent of damage to the gas station, and the total loss of the snowmobile.