Salem, OR— Kate Brown (D), governor of Oregon, said last week that she would be striking down a recent law that went into effect January 1st that allowed some Oregon residents to pump their own gas after hundreds of deaths resulting from drivers incorrectly filling their tanks.

The law came to an end June 1st, but not before nearly 5,000 Oregon residents burst into flames at gas pumps around the state. 

“Never in my worst nightmares did I ever think so many people would lose their lives this way,” a visibly shaken Brown said. “The carnage that this law, this horrible, terrible law brought forth…I’ll be forced to live with the terror this law has wrought for the rest of my life…”

It is unknown exactly how many immolation deaths occur in the state each year on average, but Brown conceded that number “skyrocketed” during the first five months of 2018.

“They were right,” Brown said of the critics who felt the law was a bad idea. “They were so, so right. God help me, they were right and I was wrong. People in Oregon clearly just aren’t meant to pump their own gas. How in holy hell does the rest of the country do it?” New Jersey is currently the only other state in the U.S. that does not allow motorists to pump their own gas.

The worst day for gas pump deaths came on March 17, when 242 people, more than one every six minutes, caught on fire and burned to death while trying to fill up their cars. That day also saw 48 gas stations destroyed.

Brown did not answer questions about whether she would be resigning as governor. “My only focus right now is preventing these senseless deaths and protecting the vulnerable people of the great state of Oregon,” she said. “It’s obvious they need me more than ever right now.”