A shocked man told how he had to jump off the toilet seat with his trousers down when the loo suddenly caught fire after he dropped a cigarette inside it, and narrowly escaped getting serious burns.
The man, who was not named, said he was squatting over the seat at his home in Xiamen, in China’s south-eastern Fujian Province, when it suddenly began letting out white smoke.
Moments later, it caught fire.
Astonishing footage shows fire and smoke billowing from the toilet, resembling something from a movie scene complete with special effects.
The man said it occurred on 10th November, right after he sat down to relieve himself and, as usual, lit a cigarette in the bathroom.
Inadvertently, he disposed of the cigarette butt into the toilet, and the toilet suddenly ignited.
Fortunately, he said he got away just on time and escaped any injury.
He said he immediately doused it with water and managed to extinguish the fire, then called emergency services.
Following the fire, the local fire brigade arrived at the scene and conducted a thorough inspection and cleanup of the affected area.
Firefighters said that toilet fires are relatively rare and could be attributed to various factors ranging from sewage gas to equipment ageing and electrical faults.
