Unemployed Tan Eng Kian, 36, suffered the burns when he was about to light a cigarette at his home in Taman Serai Jaya near here at 7.40pm yesterday.
His father, who only wanted to be known as Tan, said his son lived alone and that he came to know of the incident from a neighbour.
Kerian Police chief Supt Omar Bakhtiar Yaacob said the police were not informed of the incident but sent a policeman to the Parit Buntar Hospital where a doctor informed the officer that Eng Kian had been sent to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh.