A car was engulfed in flames when a superstitious woman stuck burning incense on it for a bizarre Chinese good luck ritual.

Alisa Chanpetch, 36, attached a bundle of incense sticks onto her Honda Civic Sedan 'to pay respects to her car for the Chinese Ghost Festival' on August 30.

She lit several candles and tucked a plastic flower in the bumper next to the incense in the vehicle's license plate, then left to continue praying at home.

Firefighters later received a report that the sedan was burning inside a garage in Samut Songkhram, Thailand, at around 9:30 am on August 30.

Officers scrambled to respond to the emergency as the rapidly spreading blaze threatened to engulf 20 other cars parked nearby. The fire was successfully contained within 20 minutes.

Alisa's mother told police that her daughter had held the ritual, but left the burning items unattended to carry on with the ceremony at home.

Firefighters believe the fire had spread quickly due to the hot weather and the conductive zinc sheets under which the car was parked. They warned locals not to leave open flames unattended to prevent similar accidents from happening.

The Hungry Ghost Festival is a celebration held on the 15th of the seventh lunar month. Devotees believe the ghosts of the dead roam among the living. Food and incense are laid out as offerings to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck and prosperity.