Burns Leave Man, 24, in Critical Condition

A 24-year-old Port Hueneme man was in critical condition Friday after setting himself on fire in front of the Port Hueneme house where his former girlfriend lived.

The man, Juan Bernardino, had been distraught over the couple’s breakup for several weeks and had threatened suicide, said Sgt. Rollen Burns of the Port Hueneme Police Department.

Police are still not sure whether Bernardino intentionally set himself on fire about 3:50 a.m. Friday at the home on the 2500 block of Tiller Avenue, or if he was attempting to burn his girlfriend’s van.

“The interior of her van was singed, and there were burns on the visor inside,” Burns said.

Authorities also found a plastic container of gasoline.

After Bernardino lit the fire, his former girlfriend apparently heard his screams and ran outside and saved his life, Burns said.

“She used a blanket and some water to douse the flames,” he said.

When officers arrived, they found Bernardino naked and severely burned on the front lawn. The former girlfriend had removed his charred clothes.

“He just said, ‘I did it to myself, I’m sorry,’ ” Burns said.

Bernardino was taken to St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, where he was treated for second- and third-degree burns over most of his body and then flown to the burn unit at County Hospital of San Bernardino, a hospital spokeswoman said.