An elderly man was hospitalized after being seriously burned when his motor home caught fire this morning, according to authorities.

The blaze started around 6:30 a.m. on Newton Avenue near 70th Street, which is in an industrial area along a railway a few blocks north of the 91 Freeway.

There are several motor homes parked along that stretch of roadway, and the elderly man was sleeping in one of them, according to a fire official.

The man got up to move another motor home he had in the area, and as he was working on the engine, trying to get it started, some fuel ignited, Long Beach Fire Department spokesman Jake Heflin said.

The burst of flames left him with first- and second-degree burns on his arms, neck and head, according to Heflin.

Firefighters doused the motor home, and paramedics took the man to a local hospital, Heflin said.

Jeremiah Dobruck is managing editor of the Long Beach Post. Reach him at [email protected] or @jeremiahdobruck on Twitter.