Florida man sets self on fire while setting up cross-burning Halloween decoration

A Florida 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 Palm Bay 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.

Police said the man had been drinking.