A 78-year-old Dixfield man suffered serious burns over nearly half of his body Tuesday when his clothes caught fire as he heated a pot of water on a propane stove, the State Fire Marshal’s Office said.

Richard Roberts, of Averill Hill Road, was being treated Wednesday at Maine Medical Center in Portland for the burns.

He was taken there by LifeFlight helicopter after he was initially taken to the Rumford hospital. Roberts, who lives alone, called 911. There was no fire damage to his home.