An Indianapolis man was seriously burned in a fire on the city's near west side Thursday.
Firefighters were called to the 700 block of North Holmes Avenue around 5:20 p.m.
Lawrence Summer, 66, was found outside of a possibly vacant home. A neighbor said Summer was still on fire when he said he may have fallen asleep while smoking.The neighbor then helped to extinguish Summer's burning clothes until help arrived.
Summer suffered third-degree burns to 80 percent of his body and was taken to Wishard Hospital.
The fire spread to a second home shortly after it began but the occupants of that home were able to escape unharmed.
Firefighters successfully extinguished the fire by 6 p.m.
Both homes sustained $70,000 in damage.
The cause is still under investigation.
