A MAN suffered 20 per cent burns after a freak accident when he set himself on fire as he tried to fill his car with petrol from a can.

The driver, David Hughes, suffered severe burns in the incident as he tried to fill the gold Ford Sierra car which had run out of petrol in Goosehouse Lane, Darwen, yesterday at 10pm.

A passing motorist put out the flames and ferried the injured man to Blackburn Royal Infirmary but he was later transferred to the burns unit at Royal Preston Hospital.

Sgt Phil Nowland, of Darwen police, said: "We are still making inquiries into the incident at this stage.

"It would appear someone has tried to fill up the car, and managed to set fire to it at the same time."

A spokeswoman for Royal Preston Hospital said the injured man was in a "satisfactory" condition.

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