However, be wary that they'll throw the gas can far away (think of them as pressing the shoot button whilst thinking the gas can they're holding is a gun) if they're surrounded by two or more zombies they can't shove and they happened to be looking up. In campaigns such as Yama, this can be a problem given the finale area is on the rooftop. I've had moments where they'll throw the gas can to a completely inaccessible area that I had to shoot it so it respawns again.

If possible, if you see them holding the can and running, immediately warp them to your position to prevent them from possibly encountering an infected and haphazardly throw the cans to shoot. Best if you have a specific key for it, too.