KANSAS CITY, KAN. ? A rural Leavenworth County man suffered burns to 70 percent of his body and was lifeflighted to the University of Kansas Hospital after he caught fire while cutting wood in his garage.

Ron Noble, 35, had been working with a saw or cutting tool when a flash fire nearly consumed him, said Ann Magee, records clerk at the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office.

Leavenworth County deputies, as well as Alexandria Township Volunteer Fire Department and EMS crews responded at 8:49 a.m. Friday to the 23100 block of Bauserman Road, near the Jefferson County line.

Someone else at home helped Noble extinguish the fire, which melted several items in the garage but left the house undamaged, Magee said.

Noble was conscious and alert when crews arrived and said he may have nicked a piece of metal with the saw, igniting paint thinner nearby, Magee said.

A spokeswoman at the hospital, in Kansas City, Kan., said she could not confirm that Noble had been admitted as a patient.