They actually don’t explode in a big ball of fire when they’re hit. Still, a bullet doesn’t have to make anything on you explode to kill you, and those tanks still make you a big, slow-moving target.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FlamethrowerBackfire
“...bullet doesn’t have to make anything on you explode to kill you...”
Yeah, that was my point. Every rifle and MG in the vicinity is looking to put you down when you have that on your back. The ball of fire wasn’t the focus of my comment - it’s the volume of incoming that the flamethrower guy would see.