Retired firefighter wins $1M lottery after running out of mower gas

May 12 (UPI) -- A retired firefighter in North Carolina stopped in a store to pick up gas after his lawnmower ran out and also picked up two scratch-off tickets while there, walking out with a $1 million prize.

Kevin Simpson of Stoneville, N.C., who now works for Goodyear, bought the winning lottery ticket at J-Mart on East Stadium Drive in Eden, the North Education Lottery said in a statement.

The winnings came from one of two $150 Million Cash Explosion scratch-off tickets he bought at the store.

Simpson claimed the prize Monday at the lottery's headquarters in Raleigh. He chose to have the money distributed to him through installments over a 20-year period instead of a lump sum.

He said that he will save the money for the future and for now go about his daily life as normal.

"I'm just going to continue working," he said. "It's what I've been doing for 20 years. This is for my retirement."

The $150 Million Cash Explosion scratch-off tickets debuted in October 2018 and two $4 million prizes and two $1 million prizes have yet to be claimed, a statement said.

Ticket sales from scratch-off tickets in general raise more than $700 million annually for education, according to the N.C. Education Lottery.