A 50-year-old Windham man was taken to the hospital Saturday morning after burning himself over an accelerant-fueled burn barrel.

The man was getting rid of excess brush outside his Wilderness Way home when the fire got out of control, burning his face and hands, Windham Fire Chief Brent Libby said.

Libby declined to give the man’s name, but said his injuries were not life-threatening.

Libby said his advice was “certainly not to use flammables in trying to get a fire going.”

“They’re very unpredictable, so try to start the fire naturally,” he said.

Investigators will determine what, exactly, the accelerant was, Libby said, but the fire department suspects it was gasoline.

Outside fires require a permit in Windham. The fire department hasn’t yet checked whether it sanctioned this burn, according to Libby.