Father turns himself into a human fireball during DIY mishap

A father had a lucky escape after he went up in flames as a DIY garden fire went disastrously wrong.

CCTV cameras captured the moment Scott Buckley turned into a human fireball after pouring paint thinners onto wood he was burning.

Remarkably Scott, a dad-of-two from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, escaped with only minor burns to his legs.

The builder and businessman described the incident as ‘the most stupid thing I’ve ever done’.

Scott and a friend were burning timber left over from some DIY they had been doing in his back garden in Shawclough when they decided to use an old tin of paint thinner to get the fire started.

But as they poured the highly-flammable solution on the blaze the tin exploded - shooting flames 14 ft into the air.

Now Scott is warning others to be wary of the dangers of paint thinners.

He said: “I didn’t realise the thinners would be so flammable. It was so volatile, I couldn’t believe it.

“My nine-year-old son has seen the footage and he just said ‘Dad, you’re an idiot’.

“It’s like a health and safety video showing the wrong way to start a fire.

“I was so lucky. This should be a warning to everyone.”