[MacGyverGod]

I've just seen a couple of explosive fails on YouTube that reminded me of Blind Faith and made me wonder why Mac didn't simply put the gas can out with the rags instead of walking it to a container. Maybe trying to douse the flame would've taken too much time (and doesn't prevent from exploding) and maybe the barrel it stood on was also filled with gas and was it easier to dump it into the container in order to prevent large damage. On the other hand if the barrel it stood on was empty, he could've dumped it in there. It would've saved maybe 10 seconds (tops or only), in the meantime have Pete untie Samantha and then run away before the explosion happened. Mac wouldn't have gotten hurt. Of course it was all for the dramatic effect. MacGyver's hurt and Pete and Samantha has to help out. Besides I think dumping the burning gas can was one of the most dangerous things MacGyver ever did. It could've blown up in his hands and him into bits.

But the question is what would you do? You're tied up with Pete and Samantha, the gas can is burning, there's no telling when it'll blow up. You'd risk getting yourself blown up, or would you try to take out the flame or drop the can somewhere else or would you do something else?

[DashboardOnFire]

I'm assuming he did it to contain the explosion.

Hm. What would have happened if they had simply run to another corner, ducking? It was a rather large warehouse. Would the explosion have brought the whole building down or would droplets of burning liquid had set everything on fire; trapping them?

Because if the answer is no to both questions, it maybe really wasn't necessary to carry the can away and risking your life like that.

[MacGyverGod]

Probably. A gas can might blow up and the explosion even in the container was quite massive but I don't think enough to bring the whole place down. Or the fire should've been able to reach other tanks but I don't think that would've been the case. Don't forget the door wasn't locked, they locked it from the inside, they could've run back outside but also back to Stams, Cardosa and Ramos.

They could've just run to another corner indeed, the explosion might have been more damaging and might have brought the bad guys in, even though they were still standing there after the explosion until they saw Mac in the window.

For me, I would've dropped the gas can in the barrel it stood on if it was empty and run away after untying Samantha first.

[beth]

The barrel that the gas can was sitting on was probably filled with flammable liquids of some kind and the gas can was probably just the "trigger" to set it off causing a massive explosion. It seemed that Mac was just trying to contain the blast so the entire hangar didn't blow up taking them all with it. There was an airplane in the hangar that we can assume was fueled up also and depending upon the force of the blast if the barrel had gone up, and the proximity of the plane to the barrel, the plane could have exploded as well. Mac was always the type of person to put his friends above himself and he would never let anything happen to Pete if he could help it.

As for what one would do if put in this scenario. One never knows how they will truly react until they are actually in the situation. You may think you will act a certain way but when the event happens you may do the exact opposite.