A mechanic was engulfed by a fireball when a tractor engine he was fixing suddenly ignited.

Suttipong Kanyapan, 56, pulled the starter motor while testing the device but residual petrol was ignited by the spark plug.

Dramatic CCTV footage shows how Suttipong leaped up with fright before rolling around on the ground to try and extinguish the flames.

Shocked wife Namfon ran over and helped her husband remove his burning shirt following the accident in Chanthaburi, Thailand, on August 25.

The mechanic survived and gave a thumbs up from his hospital bed where he tuned into a Muay Thai boxing match.

Suttipong said: ‘I was too careless while fixing the engine. I want this accident to be a cautionary tale for any mechanics and technicians out there to be really careful.'

Medics said that Suttipong had suffered burns on his whole arm and minor burns on his face, nose and ears.