California homeless man set on fire

SALINAS, Calif. -- A homeless man was doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire as he slept, leaving him with third-degree burns to more than 40 percent of his body.

The 56-year-old man was standing with his clothes singed off when officers found him late Saturday. The lower half of his body was covered with flames.

Investigators believe the fire was set on purpose and that whoever was behind it knew the victim and was trying to kill him, although no suspects have been identified, police said.

"It wasn't a cooking accident. We believe it was intentional," he said. "We don't think it's a random thing."

The results of lab tests on the liquid were still pending, but police suspect it was gasoline. They didn't recover the device that was used to ignite the liquid.

The homeless man was sleeping against the wall of a small medical building when the fire was set, and the smoke and flames blew out the windows and caused moderate damage to the building, Perrine said.