Video shows man turned into 'human fireball' after rushing into burning factory to grab his phone

This is the heart-stopping moment a factory worker resembling a human fireball emerged from a building after he went back inside to retrieve his mobile phone.

Astonished onlookers quickly blasted the man with fire extinguishers as he stumbled out of the factory in east China engulfed in flames head-to-toe.

The man is understood to be in intensive care but in a stable condition.

The incident happened after the China Hookah Manufacturing Company factory in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, caught fire on Monday (11 December).

Video footage posted online shows the worker doused in fire extinguisher fluid by multiple onlookers.

He then manages to stand up and can be seen walking around as members of the public call the emergency services.

His clothing had almost entirely burnt off, exposing his red skin underneath.

Bosses at the factory said the worker was one of the first to flee the flames but went back in to the burning building to retrieve his phone, according to the Sun.

Officials said firefighters took two hours to extinguish the blaze.

The cause of it is still being investigated.