gasoline
A woman fills her vehicle with gasoline.
AP Images
  • The US Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday people should not fill plastic bags with gasoline.
  • In a Twitter thread Wednesday, the agency shared tips amid a gasoline shortage in the US east and south.
  • The shortage was caused by a ransomware attack by a group called DarkSide.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission on Wednesday gave some common-sense advice about what people should use to store gasoline amid a fuel shortage impacting the south and east coast.

"Do not fill plastic bags with gasoline," the agency said in a tweet.

In subsequent posts, the agency shared tips for how people can store gasoline safely using "containers approved for fuel."

A gasoline shortage caused by a ransomware attack is impacting people in the eastern and southern parts of the US, causing stations to hike prices and run out of fuel entirely.

Colonial Pipeline, the largest refined fuel pipeline operator in the US, shut down 5,500 miles of pipeline Friday night after it had been the victim of a ransomware attack by a group known as DarkSide. The company said it hopes to have service restored by the end of this week.

The governors of Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, a Georgia have declared states of emergency due to the shortage.

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