A vicar has accidentally set himself alight while recording an online sermon amid the COVID-19 pandemic - and the internet is delighted by his sweet reaction to it.

Vicar Stephen Beach of St Budeaux parish church in Plymouth, southwest England had been filming the virtual sermon from his home earlier this month when the incident occurred.

This is the moment Vicar Stephen Beach catches on fire during an online sermon:

The clip shows Mr. Beach delivering what he refers to as the "last part of our online worship experience".

"The last section we call 'waiting'," he continues. "And it's a great thing to pause in the presence of God and to ask the question, 'God, what are you saying to us?'

"And then, of course, to wait for an answer. I've just been pausing between these -" the vicar says before realizing he had caught fire on the candle behind him.

"- Oh dear, I've just caught fire. Oh my word", Mr. Beach says in shock before abruptly turning off the camera.

Fortunately, it appears that he was unharmed by the accident, which has since received a lot of attention on Twitter.

Posting the moment on the social network, Mr. Beach's niece Laura Evans wrote, "My uncle is the vicar of St Budeaux Parish. Last night he gave his online sermon and things got a bit hot under the (dog) collar. Enjoy."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Twitter / Laura Evans]]

"This has made my day," one Twitter user wrote in response to the clip. "Possibly my year. Please send my best wishes to your Uncle."

"This is hands down the most British reaction to BEING ON FIRE!" another added.

"'Oh dear, I’ve just caught fire. Oh my word.' Super calm. Pats it out & doesn’t even move out of view. Haha!" a third user comments.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Twitter / Laura Evans]] [[imagecaption|| Credit: Twitter / Laura Evans]] [[imagecaption|| Credit: Twitter / Laura Evans]]

As part of the UK's nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, the Church of England has suspended all of its services. The unprecedented move by the government has seen vicars, like Mr. Beach, delivering sermons from home.

An official statement regarding the matter reads:

"Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of 23rd March, the Archbishops have written to clergy in support of the measures, requiring that churches must now close both for private worship and public services. Our church buildings are therefore now closed for public worship, private prayer and all other meetings and activities except for vital community services until further notice."

A vicar has accidentally set himself alight while recording an online sermon amid the COVID-19 pandemic - and the internet is delighted by his sweet reaction to it.

Vicar Stephen Beach of St Budeaux parish church in Plymouth, southwest England had been filming the virtual sermon from his home earlier this month when the incident occurred.

This is the moment Vicar Stephen Beach catches on fire during an online sermon:

The clip shows Mr. Beach delivering what he refers to as the "last part of our online worship experience".

"The last section we call 'waiting'," he continues. "And it's a great thing to pause in the presence of God and to ask the question, 'God, what are you saying to us?'

"And then, of course, to wait for an answer. I've just been pausing between these -" the vicar says before realizing he had caught fire on the candle behind him.

"- Oh dear, I've just caught fire. Oh my word", Mr. Beach says in shock before abruptly turning off the camera.

Fortunately, it appears that he was unharmed by the accident, which has since received a lot of attention on Twitter.

Posting the moment on the social network, Mr. Beach's niece Laura Evans wrote, "My uncle is the vicar of St Budeaux Parish. Last night he gave his online sermon and things got a bit hot under the (dog) collar. Enjoy."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Twitter / Laura Evans]]

"This has made my day," one Twitter user wrote in response to the clip. "Possibly my year. Please send my best wishes to your Uncle."

"This is hands down the most British reaction to BEING ON FIRE!" another added.

"'Oh dear, I’ve just caught fire. Oh my word.' Super calm. Pats it out & doesn’t even move out of view. Haha!" a third user comments.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Twitter / Laura Evans]] [[imagecaption|| Credit: Twitter / Laura Evans]] [[imagecaption|| Credit: Twitter / Laura Evans]]

As part of the UK's nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, the Church of England has suspended all of its services. The unprecedented move by the government has seen vicars, like Mr. Beach, delivering sermons from home.

An official statement regarding the matter reads:

"Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of 23rd March, the Archbishops have written to clergy in support of the measures, requiring that churches must now close both for private worship and public services. Our church buildings are therefore now closed for public worship, private prayer and all other meetings and activities except for vital community services until further notice."