A 62-year-old man with burns on over 80 per cent of his body was being treated at the Nicosia general hospital on Saturday.

Fire services spokesman Andreas Kettis said two fire trucks had responded to a fire at 11am at a central heating boiling room in Limassol.

It since emerged that an explosion took place during maintenance work, causing a fire that led to the 62-year-old man’s injury.

He was taken with an ambulance to Limassol’s emergency department but due to the severity of his injuries, he was transferred to Nicosia general’s burn unit.

The fire also affected a parked vehicle outside the family home.