New York, Apr 23 (IANS): One Direction star Harry Styles almost burnt down the "Saturday Night Live" studios after his shirt caught fire.

According to a source, Styles was left fearing for his and everyone else's life on April 15 when he accidentally set his shirt on fire back stage in Rockefeller Plaza here following the live performance of his single "Ever since New York", reports mirror.co.uk.

"Harry nearly burned the place down. His manager asked if he could smell burning -- he'd thrown his shirt onto a candle and the whole sleeve had set alight. He tried to stamp it out but then his sock caught on fire," the source told The Sun newspaper.

Styles, 23, reportedly threw his shirt on a candle. He tried to stamp out the fire with his foot, but instead, caught his sock alight.

"Luckily, the whole team got involved and managed to stamp the flames out, but it was one step away from needing a fire extinguisher," the source said.