Funny but true

One day as I was watching a petrol station staff measuring the level of petrol in the underground tanks by lowering a giant white measuring stick down into them. I asked "What would happen if I threw a lit match into the hole?"

"The match would go out," he answered with a very serious look on his face.

"TRUE?" I asked, surprised to hear that for my question. "Is there any safety device that would extinguish it before the fumes are ignited?"

"No," he answered "The force from the explosion would be enough to blow the match out."