Wow, Donna you sure wanted to make sure of those ants!
Gotta say, though, I'd never ever pour gasoline on the ground anywhere I wanted to grow anything. Even after burning it off, you'd be likely to leave residue that could be nasty.
As you say, you sure can't do that in the middle of a lawn or garden, or anywhere near a structure. If we even light a fire to burn garden waste the fire department shows up here.
Seriously, the baits are the way to go. They target the ants only, kill the queen and the whole nest, and don't leave a toxic residue behind. This isn't just me sayin', our wonderful entomologist at the Extension office (and any entomologist you ask, for that matter) will tell you the same.
