A man turned himself into a human fireball after attempting to light his barbecue yesterday.

Surrey Fire and Rescue were called to the scene, in Kirsty Close, Dorking, at 11.47am yesterday (Saturday November 29).

The man had attempted to light a ‘chiminiere’ in his back garden with an explosive mixture of petrol, diesel and oil which then set him on fire.

A firefighter who was on the scene said: “There wasn’t much left burning by the time we got there. The man’s daughter did well and managed to get him into a cold shower.”

The man, who suffered serious burns, was then taken by ambulance to East Surrey Hospital.

The firefighter added: “We would remind people to be careful when lighting barbecues using petrol and diesel and would advise only using barbecue lighting fluid.”