Fire Battalion Chief Mike Hughes said the man was standing near a barbecue on the backyard patio of his townhouse on Wintergreen Court around 1:30 p.m. when his clothing became engulfed in flames. He suffered second- and third-degree burns, Hughes said.
A fire had not yet been lit in the barbecue itself but there were barbecue accessories at the scene, Hughes said. The man's wife suffered minor burns on her hands while removing her husband's clothing, Hughes said. She was treated at the Kaiser Permanente Center in San Rafael.
The burn victim was flown by REACH helicopter to the University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento where he is sedated and in critical condition, Hughes said. His name has not been released.
"It's unclear if this was an accident or self-inflicted," Hughes said.
