Ill. man, 96, dies after leaf-burning accident

COTTAGE HILLS, Ill. (AP) -- A 96-year-old southwestern Illinois man is dead after neighbors say his clothing caught fire while burning leaves.

William Jackson of Cottage Hills near Alton died Tuesday at a hospital, roughly 10 hours after the accident Monday at his home.

Neighbor Gene Underhill says he saw Jackson raking leaves, then looked away before glancing back at Jackson and seeing the man's clothing on fire.

Underhill says he filled a coffee can with water and managed to douse the burning clothes before he called emergency workers.

Jackson's son-in-law, Wesley Roberts, lives next door and says Jackson had third-degree burns over 90 percent of his body.

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Information from: The (Alton) Telegraph, http://thetelegraph.com