IPOH (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - A drunk man was badly burnt after he set off a lighter in his pocket at the Jelapang police station in Malaysia.

The incident occurred after the 47-year-old jobless man was apprehended in the early hours of Tuesday for causing a ruckus at the station.

Perak CID chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Gan Tian Kee said the man was drunk when he came to the police station seeking to lodge a report.

"The policeman on duty advised the man to calm down and to come again when he was sober. The words enraged the man who then raised his voice," he said.

SAC Gan said the man threatened to post about the matter on Facebook, adding that police personnel on duty declined to take the man's report.

He said the man returned shortly after that and provoked and pushed a policeman, prompting police to apprehend him.

The handcuffed man then started fiddling in his pockets to look for his lighter and accidentally set it off.

SAC Gan said policemen managed to put out the fire using water from a nearby tap.

"The policemen, who were guarding the man, released him from his handcuffs and put out the fire. He was then sent to the hospital for treatment," he said in a statement.

"Further checks found that the man had a machete in his motorcycle and we handcuffed him.

SAC Gan added that the man has 13 records for various crimes, including drug-related offences.

Meanwhile, Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran said the man, who was a security guard, wanted to lodge a report about a burglary at his workplace.

"He is suffering about 90 per cent burns and is fighting for his life at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital. The police are also guarding him at the hospital," he said.

Mr Kulasegaran said the man's family members have lodged a police report and want an explanation on the incident.