Man sets self on fire Man had history of mental illness, friend says By MICHAEL A. de YOANNA/Colorado Daily Staff Writer A man doused himself in gasoline and lit himself on fire in an apparent suicide attempt at a home undergoing renovations in a quiet North Boulder neighborhood on Tuesday morning. The city declined to release the 38-year-old man's name. Construction workers extinguished the fire, which occurred at about 10 a.m. and then called 911, according to city spokeswoman Jennifer Bray. Boulder police and fire departments responded to the call, Bray said. "He was quickly transported to the hospital," she said. A worker at the site said the man was badly burned, but declined to say more. The victim was rushed to Boulder Community Hospital, unconscious, and then transferred by helicopter to CU Hospital's burn unit in Denver. A hospital spokeswoman said the man was in "critical, but stable condition," with burns on 20-25 percent of his upper body. Scott Heap, the contractor responsible for renovating the 2820 21st St. home, had planned to meet the victim at the construction site that morning. "He's a friend of mine," said Heap, who has known the man for about 20 years. "He had come over to help with a few things. . . . It's rather shocking." Heap did not witness the incident, but said the man, who works in a family business as a mechanical craftsman, had a history of mental problems. "He had recent episodes of mental illness," Heap said. "There is no fathoming what was in his mind. There's just no explanation."