This is the shocking moment a man's face was caught in a massive fireball as a lighter burst into flames while he was trying to get it to work.

CCTV footage recorded inside an empty restaurant in Zibo, in Shandong, China, shows the man sitting opposite a woman in a hair net, apparently relaxing while there were no customers around.

The man, who is sitting with his back turned at the camera, could be seen fiddling with a cigarette lighter that was a present from his partner but had not been used for a while.

He was trying to get it to work for several moments before it suddenly blew up, sending a ball of fire directly in his face.

He immediately tossed it on the floor and covered his ears, fearing it might explode again. Seeing he was unharmed, the woman then laughed and began clapping in excitement.

But not wanting to risk a similar fate, she then stood up and ran outside, observing what would happen next through the glass entrance.

The lighter flamed out and there was no further incident. No injuries were reported following the incident on March 14.

The man later told local media: 'The lighter was a gift from my wife, so I didn't want to throw it away, but it's now rendered unusable after this incident.'