This is the moment a man escapes shortly before an explosion at a battery charging station sends flames shooting across the room and filling it with smoke.

The near disaster was captured on CCTV cameras at the business that recharges vehicle batteries in Guangdong, a coastal province located in South China on June 1.

It shows a man looking at his phone inside the charging station while another is lying on the sofa when one of the devices suddenly starts smoking.

It further depicts the two men escaping just a few seconds before the battery exploded.

The Hubei Fire Department, which dealt with the blaze, warned that lithium batteries in electric vehicles are combustible and a source of ignition.

They said:'Once they spontaneously ignite indoors, the fire spreads quickly and can easily trap people and cause casualties.'