Out-of-control SUV rams butane tanks and lighters. Then a young California hero saves everyone from the inferno

A dramatic car accident happened on Monday evening, December 15, 2025, at a hardware store in Redwood City, California, where an out-of-control SUV plowed through the front window into flammable stock, including butane tanks and lighters, causing a fire to explode.

Fortunately, because of the actions of the store’s 16-year-old employee, Ricky Pera, what could have been far worse ended with no serious injuries reported and several people safely evacuated.

“We heard a revving noise”

According to local reports, the incident happened just after 5 p.m. when a vehicle lost control and crashed straight through the Ace Hardware storefront, lodging near the register area, according to witnesses. Local firefighters responded to reports of the blaze. When they arrived, they found the vehicle on fire inside the building.

“We heard a revving noise, and then we looked, and the car went straight through the window. There was a lot of butane where she crashed, so it kept catching on fire and blowing up. At that moment, we all got fire extinguishers and helped her get out of the car,” Pera, who was working at the cash register at the time, later said.

Per CBS News, employees reported flames erupting almost immediately after the impact. “The car went right through, and there was minimal structural damage. It basically went right through the glass,” Redwood City Fire Department Battalion Chief Glendon Chan added, per NBC Bay Area.

Pera sprang into action

But unlike many onlookers who fled, Pera stayed calm, coordinating with his coworkers to use fire extinguishers to control smaller flare-ups from the igniting inventory while ensuring customers and staff evacuated safely to the parking lot. Pera also helped free the disoriented driver, trapped amid the fire and debris.

First responders later praised his calm direction during those first critical moments, calling no serious injuries were reported a remarkably positive outcome given how close some bystanders were to the path of the SUV.

“I’m so thankful no one was hurt. It’s a blessing that I’m even here cause I was five feet away from it. Me and my co-worker are lucky to still be here,” Pera told reporters.

As of this writing, authorities have not publicly released the driver’s identity. According to preliminary reports from local news outlets, the driver lost control of the vehicle, reporting she stepped on the gas instead of the brake, but the exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Investigators, combing through physical evidence and reviewing surveillance footage, have asked anyone with additional video or eyewitness information to come forward as the inquiry continues.