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Officials: Man sets self on fire while setting up cross-burning Halloween decoration

PALM BAY, Fla. — A Palm Bay man was hospitalized with serious burns he suffered while decorating his home for Halloween Tuesday night, according to police.

According to his wife and friends, the 50-year-old man was using gas to light a wooden cross as a joke when he set himself on fire at his Wacker Avenue home.

Investigators said the man's wife used a water hose to douse the flames.

The man was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center with burns over 40 percent of his body and suffered second-degree burns to his upper torso.

Authorities said the man had been drinking.

His name was not released.