This is the moment an elderly hiker admits that he recently suffered the “worst day” of his life after setting fire to toilet paper to dispose of it on a route in the Grand Canyon – and sparking a 64-acre-fire.

The fire took place at Cottonwood Creek Canyon in the Grand Canyon National Park in the US state of Arizona.

The Grand Canyon National Park confirmed the fire was accidentally started in Cottonwood Creek Canyon when the backpacker ignited some toilet paper in order to dispose of it, and not leave an unsightly mess to spoil the view for other hikers.

The unnamed man bravely admits in front of the camera as a warning to others: “You know, I thought it was gross trying to pack the paper and carry it out, but it was way grosser causing a fire.”

The park authorities added: “Unfortunately, this small flame started a 64-acre-fire, which burned several large, old-growth cottonwood trees. Every year wildfires damage public lands and about 85 percent of them are caused by humans.

“We ask visitors to practice ‘Leave No Trace’, and never have fires outside of designated fire rings. Small actions can have huge consequences.”

In the footage, the unnamed man, who stood before the camera because he wanted something positive to come from the incident, explains that the wind led to him burning “a good chunk of a place we love”.

He wanted to warn others against the danger of fire and how quickly it can spread and added that it was “just awful stuff, we tried to put it out, it was so fast, it happened so quickly”.

The man also says that he is “71 years old and it took that long for something like that to probably be the worst day of my life”.