Staff reports

VAN BUREN TWP. — A Brown County man was flown to Methodist hospital on July 4 after he caught on fire while working on a vehicle.

The incident happened at the man’s home, in the 5800 block of Bellsville Pike.

Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Josh Stargell found the 38-year-old victim in the bathroom suffering from severe burns. He was being tended to by Southern Brown volunteer firefighters.

The man was working on a 1997 Chevrolet Blazer in the driveway when he dumped gas into the carburetor using a gas can. The gas can then caught on fire, catching the man on fire also. He was unable to get his cellphone to call 911 because his phone was in his pocket and his pants were on fire, the report said. A woman who lives at the home was able to call for help.

An ambulance took him to Van Buren Elementary School, where he was picked up by a medical helicopter to go to Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital.

The report said that the man had burns to the left side of his body and in the genital area.