Watch: Masked attacker accidentally sets fire to himself in bungled arson attempt

CCTV footage shows the man struggling to extinguish the blaze at a corner shop in Manchester as he runs away with his two accomplices

An arsonist accidentally set himself alight as he tried to start a fire in a corner shop.
CCTV footage shows three men charging into Zaf’s GoLocal store in Manchester before pouring fuel on the floor and attempting to ignite it.
As they do so, one of the men, who is holding the canister of petrol, manages to set himself on fire.
Footage taken outside the shop then shows the man struggling to extinguish the fire as he runs away with his two accomplices.
The owner, who gave his name as Zaf, said his two brothers were working in the shop at the time of the attack.
The 39-year-old said: “We’ve got no indication [who it could be]. But the police mentioned that this has been happening recently. We don’t know if it’s something to do with all the riots that were going on. We don’t know if it’s personal.
“We’re a big part of the community. When the incident happened, the majority of the estate came to the shop saying, ‘Are you all right? Is everything all right?’
“We’re a well-known shop in the Manchester area, and we’ve got a lot of love out there, and we don’t know what could have caused it. I’m just shocked.”
He added: “All of a sudden, three lads come up; they’ve thrown the petrol on the floor. At first they couldn’t even start the fire, and then they ended up burning the shop and burnt themselves.”
Zaf said his two brothers thankfully managed to extinguish the fire before it took over the whole building.
He said: “They ran straight to the stock room and with their quick thinking, they got water. They had mop buckets in the stock room, they got them out and got the fire out really quickly.”
Zaf said the store’s floor, ceiling and fridges were all damaged in the attack, which he said had caused about £15,000 worth of damage.
Greater Manchester Police said the incident was being investigated and treated as arson. A police spokesman said: “Officers are investigating an arson at a business on Butler Street in Manchester.
“At around 5.40pm on Sunday Aug 25 2024, three unknown men entered the shop and poured a small amount of petrol on the shop floor.
“The fire was extinguished and thankfully, no one was injured and all occupants were safely evacuated.
“Detectives from North Manchester CID are investigating the incident and although no arrests have been made so far, inquiries are ongoing into locating the three men.”