A family suffered painful burns when a box of unused fireworks exploded next to them while they were outside preparing a barbecue.

The incident was captured on CCTV footage outside a home in Chongqing, in south-western China, at around 4:30 pm on February 10.

In the video, nearly a dozen family members could be seen sitting on small plastic chairs placed on the concrete next to the grass, enjoying the unusually sunny weather.

The older members seemed to be sitting chatting while the younger adults grilled meat over an open fire.

They were all sent running when the barbecue exploded, sending flares flying everywhere.

Some of them were struck by the flying sparks and suffered burns, though none were reported to be serious. The exterior wall tiles were also damaged by the blast.

It was later revealed that they had placed the barbecue on top of what they thought was an empty fireworks box.

The person who recorded the video said: 'Last night, after setting off fireworks, we decided to barbecue today.

'Placing the barbecue tray on top, we were surprised to find unused fireworks inside the fireworks box, which ignited due to the high temperature.'