His Anger Fueled Mini-Market Blaze : Crime: Witnesses say a driver who was refused beer plowed his car into the establishment’s gas pumps.

A motorist who apparently became enraged when a clerk at a Maywood mini-market refused to sell him beer early Sunday drove his car into one of the market’s gas pumps, setting off an explosion and fire, police said.

A clerk and two customers ran from the fire and escaped injury, but the gas-station portion of the Arco AM/PM market was destroyed, Maywood Police Sgt. Steve Nagy said. The explosion, which sent flames 150 feet into the air, blew out about six windows on nearby apartments.

Jehzeel Narchena, 22, was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism; a companion fled before officers reached the scene, Nagy said. Their car, a 1983 model, was destroyed in the fire.

“It looked like something out of Vietnam, like a napalm drop,” said Nagy, one of the first officers to arrive. “The whole thing went up . . . all eight pumps exploded into one mushroom cloud.

“The heat was incredible. I couldn’t even get close to the market to see if anyone was injured.”

It took 75 firefighters from Maywood and surrounding communities about 45 minutes to extinguish the blaze. Damage was estimated at $500,000.

Police said Narchena initially gave them several different names. He was being held at the Maywood police station.

Authorities said the incident began about 5:40 a.m. when Narchena and his passenger tried to buy beer at the market at 4700 E. Slauson Ave., but were told that California law prohibits the sale of alcohol from 2 to 6 a.m.

The men argued with the clerk and, when still refused service, returned to their car and “started driving recklessly . . . doing ‘doughnuts’ (looping around the pumps) in the parking lot,” Nagy said.

“Then he came back around and purposely rammed one pump, ran over the pump (and) completely severed it from its base, which started spewing gasoline all over the place.

“Then the car just got away from him,” Nagy said.

The car crashed into a metal support beam at the station just as the spewing gasoline ignited and “the whole thing went up,” he said.

Narchena, arrested while walking from the scene, was “believed to be somewhat intoxicated,” Nagy added.