A careless driver in south-east China has sparked an explosion and a huge blaze after driving away from a petrol station with the gas pump still in his fuel tank.

The motorist, who has not been named, had forgotten to remove the hose before driving off, knocking over the fuel dispenser.

Shocking video footage of the incident in Jieyang, Guangdong province shows the pump crashing on to the ground and sparking a fire which then explodes into a massive blaze.

The motorist, who has not been named, had forgotten to remove the hose before driving off

The vehicle yanked on the petrol dispenser and caused it to collapse on to the ground

Shocking video footage of the incident in Jieyang, Guangdong province shows the pump crashing on to the ground and sparking a fire which explodes into a massive blaze

Prior to the blaze, the footage shows the driver pulling away from the petrol pump and yanking it down at 8:50pm local time on Tuesday.

Petrol station staff, customers and nearby residents were evacuated as the fire quickly grew out of control and engulfed the entire area, according to Guangzhou Daily.

Local fire service dispatched 15 fire engines and 58 rescuers to the scene, the report added.

Petrol station staff, customers and nearby residents were evacuated as the fire quickly grew out of control and engulfed the entire area, according to Guangzhou Daily

A trail of fire is seen after the pump collapsed and sparked the blaze

Local fire service dispatched 15 fire engines and 58 rescuers to the scene

Police are investigating the case and have yet to announce charges or fines against the driver

The fire was brought under control at 9:15pm. Fortunately, there were no injuries caused.

Police are investigating the case and have yet to announce charges or fines against the driver.

Under normal circumstances, the gas pump has a break-away device that detaches the hose automatically if it is pulled with enough force. No gas escapes from the pump when this happens.