HE wanted to save time, but ended up setting a car ablaze.

All he did was to leave his handphone to charge overnight - in his friend's car.

That simple act turned into a nightmare for a Hong Kong resident, when the phone burst into flames in the middle of the night and set fire to the car.

It is believed that he may have been using a faulty charger or an imitation battery, reported Apple Daily.

The incident happened early Saturday morning.

The man, a MrZhou, 53, had borrowed the car on Thursday from his friend, MrLiang, an air-con repairman.

The car was bought nine years ago for HK$60,000 ($11,700).

On Friday night, Mr Zhou, for the sake of convenience, decided to charge his handphone through the car cigarette lighter socket, which connects to the car's battery.

He turned off the engine but kept the battery on and left the key in the ignition. He then used another key to lock the door, and went home.

OVERHEATED BATTERY

At about 4am, it is believed that the handphone battery became overheated and caught fire.

The flames quickly engulfed the front seats and spread.

By the time firefighters arrived at the scene, the car was too badly damaged to be saved.

Fortunately, no one was hurt in the blaze.

When the police contacted Mr Zhou through Mr Liang, he rushed to the scene and admitted he had been charging his handphone in the car.

He reportedly looked very upset and guilty for ruining his friend's car.

Hong Kong automobile maintenance association chief Lee Yao Pei said that it is generally safe for handphones and other handheld electronic devices to be charged through the car cigarette lighter socket.

But as there is a chance that electronic devices may malfunction, he advised motorists to have someone in the car whenever any electrical appliance is being charged.

Then if anything happens, they would know immediately and the damage could be limited.