A restaurant owner suffered burns when his insect sprayer exploded as he was fumigating a pavement drain in Thailand.

Pradit Muneenaem, 54, was spraying bug repellent in front of his restaurant to kill mosquitoes plaguing his neighbourhood in Songkhla province on March 8 evening.

As he plunged the motorised sprayer into the pavement, it suddenly ignited and sent a blast of flames toward his face.

He walked away with minor injuries, but his facial hair, including his eyebrows and moustache, were singed from the fireball.

Pradit said the local council had just conducted training in which he learned how to mix a homemade concoction of mosquito repellent.

Wanting to help his neighbours by getting rid of the pests, well-meaning Pradit bought a sprayer and went to fog the mosquitoes before being burnt.

He added that he is recovering from his wounds.