Homeless man badly burnt

A homeless man thought to have been sleeping rough near Porirua is in hospital with serious burns after firefighters found him near death.

The 41-year-old man – found around 4.30pm on Thursday near the local shopping mall, north of Wellington – was initially taken to Hutt Hospital, then to the National Burns Centre at Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital on Monday.

He has undergone several surgical procedures. He is now in a serious but stable condition, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Detective Senior Sergeant Grant Ferguson said police were continuing to investigate the cause of the fire and wanted to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time.

‘‘In particular, we would like to identify a man seen walking away from the scene in a northerly direction, along the grass bank,’’ Ferguson said.

The potential witness was described as Pakeha, 30 to 40 years old, of medium height and build, and wearing long black pants with a grey puffer-type jacket.

He was carrying a grey or black backpack and witnesses described him as ‘‘scruffy’’, and thought he may also have been living rough.

The burnt man had not been interviewed yet because of his injuries. A police spokeswoman said it was not yet known if the fire was an accident, self-inflicted or arson.

A witness to the fire said the burnt man’s body and clothes were ‘‘smoking when he was dragged out of the pine trees’’.

Firefighters doused him with water before he was taken away by ambulance, she said.

Another witness, who did not want to be named, said he had seen a man ‘‘walking very quickly’’ away from the area.

Yesterday, the charred remnants of a makeshift camp could be seen among the trees near Porirua’s Te Wananga O Aotearoa on Heriot Drive.

Branches had been used to make a shelter and burned clothes, bedding, food and cooking utensils were strewn among the pine needles.