A Maryland driver’s car went up in flames after he used hand sanitizer while smoking. This has been tagged the fastest way ‘to kill COVID!’

His car was completely engulfed in flames after he decided to clean his hands with highly-flammable hand sanitizer while smoking.

The fire started on Thursday afternoon at the Federal Plaza Shopping Center in Maryland when the driver lit up a cigarette while parked, then applied the anti-bacterial solution to his hands.

The embers from the cigarette ignited a smear of hand sanitizer, causing the driver’s car to be consumed by flames, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue said.

News helicopter footage showed firefighters dousing the black Toyota Camry with foam to quell the inferno, which was extinguished shortly afterwards.

The driver suffered non-life-threatening first- and second-degree burns on his hands and inner-thighs and was transported to a local hospital.

Dramatic overhead footage of the fire showed the car completely totaled by fire.

‘Using hand sanitizer and smoking a cigarette is a bad combo in unventilated areas like a car,’ a fire department spokesperson said.

Following the COVID outbreak, hand sanitizer has been a staple in homes and vehicles to eliminate the spread of germs.

The health experts suggest that anyone using hand sanitizer use it in a well ventilated area.

‘If you are using hand sanitizer in a closed area, such as a car, open the windows to improve ventilation until the hand sanitizer is dry.’

While Purell, a leading hand sanitizer brand, explicitly states ‘not using PURELL near open flames or while smoking,’ in a corporate statement.