A man suffered severe burns to his stomach, arms and hands during a flat fire in West Bromwich.

The 41-year-old was rushed to the specialist burns unit at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital after the blaze broke out in his kitchen.

The fire started while he was cooking and quickly spread out of control, badly damaging the cooker and kitchen units.

The man, who lives alone, was burned as he tried to extinguish the flames with a towel.

West Bromwich watch commander Phil Richards said: “At one point, the man himself was on fire.

“When we arrived he had managed to extinguish all of the flames and was standing in the front garden.

“He had suffered 40 per cent burns. We carried out first aid before the paramedics took him to hospital.

“We had to turn the gas off inside the flat and secure the area.”

Fire crews were called to the scene in Birmingham Road at 8pm on Saturday. One of the neighbours raised the alarm.

The kitchen received smoke and fire damage while the cooker was partially melted, firefighters said.