A 38-year-old man has been arrested after taking out a lighter and lighting it while filling a car up with petrol at a petrol station, the police said on Sunday.

According to the police, the man and a 32-year-old male associate arrived at the petrol station, which is located in the Larnaca district, in the 32-year-old’s car late on Friday evening.

The 38-year-old then got out of the car to fill it with petrol, and while the petrol was being pumped into the car, he lit the lighter, causing a fire.

People stood nearby managed to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher, but not before it could damage the car and the pump, while both men also suffered burns as a result of the incident.

Both men were taken to the Larnaca general hospital, with the 32-year-old suffering what the police described as a “superficial burn” to his left hand. He was treated and then discharged.

The 38-year-old, meanwhile, suffered second- and third-degree burns to his legs and to his right hand, and was taken from the Larnaca general hospital to the Nicosia general hospital for further treatment.

He was then discharged on Saturday morning at his own request, before arriving at Larnaca airport on Saturday afternoon, intending to return to the country in which he lives.

However, by that time, a warrant had been issued in his name, and he was as such arrested.

Following his arrest, he was taken back to the Nicosia general hospital’s burns unit due to the severity of his injuries. The police have said that he is “out of danger”.