It was not a cellphone that sparked flames at an upstate gas station last week after all, a fire official said yesterday.
New Paltz Fire Chief Pat Koch said he re-interviewed Matthew Erhorn, 21, the college student who made headlines when he reported that fire flared after he answered his wireless phone while gassing up his car Thursday.
Koch said that after talking to Erhorn again, "some things he brought up" led him to conclude that "the source of ignition was from some source other than the cellphone the motorist was carrying.
"Although we will probably never know for sure, the source of ignition was most likely static discharge from the motorist himself to the nozzle dispensing gasoline," the fire chief said.
A source said the student got into his car while refueling and then got back out
