Battalion Chief Jeff Dredla said firefighters were called to the scene after someone reported seeing vapors emanating from the vehicle parked outside an apartment complex, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported Monday. He said the gas, much of which was stored in empty laundry detergent bottles and other flimsy containers, was baking in the afternoon heat inside the van.

"It was just unbelievable," Dredla said.

The owner of the van was not cited by police but firefighters stood by while the man dispensed the gas into multiple vehicles. Dredla said the man claimed not to realize how dangerous his gasoline storing practices were.

Dredla said gasoline should never be put in the passenger section of a vehicle for storage or transport and the limit for a single vehicle should be five gallons in approved containers.