It may have seemed like a great idea, but a west Quebec man's attempt to free his car from a snowbank literally burst into flames on Tuesday night.

What could have been a story of impressive on-the-fly innovation by the 24-year-old man instead went terribly awry.

According to a news release from MRC des Collines police, the man's vehicle was stuck in a snowbank in Cantley, but he didn't want to wait for a tow truck.

So he tried what police described as an "unorthodox method" to free the car.

He decided to use a skateboard to push down on the car's gas pedal, then leave the vehicle and push it from behind at the same time.

"Unfortunately for him, the doors locked with the accelerator being pressed down," the police news release said.

That caused the car to catch fire.

After all that, the car remained stuck in the snowbank, a little worse for wear than it was before.