A man's e-cigarette appeared to set his trousers alight as he paid a cashier at a petrol station in the US state of Kentucky.

The moment, captured on CCTV, shows the man rushing outside where staff doused the flames with a fire extinguisher.

According to local media, the man was taken to hospital with third-degree burns, where he reported that the fire was caused by his battery-powered cigarette.

There were 25 reported fires caused by e-cigarettes between 2009 and 2014, according to a report by the US Fire Administration.