Man Covered In Flames Spotted Running Through Uptown

UPTOWN (KDKA) – A man is recovering in the hospital after he was spotted running down the street while on fire in Uptown in the early hours of Friday morning.

It didn't take authorities long to figure out what happened, as several witnesses saw him covered in flames.

He was first seen on Bigelow Boulevard near Consol Energy Center.

The man is reportedly homeless and said he caught fire after a lighter exploded, also catching his tent on fire.

He reportedly jumped from Bigelow onto Interstate 579. He was eventually found on Forbes Avenue.

"We located him sitting on a bench and he did have severe burns on his body," said Pittsburgh Police spokesperson Sonya Toler. "According to his story, he was using a lighter - this was a homeless man - and he was using a lighter to set a fire, most probably to keep himself warm as the temperatures dip, and the lighter malfunctioned."

The man was taken to Mercy Hospital.

He is listed in critical, but stable condition with burns on over half of his body.

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