SALINAS, Calif. (AP) -- A homeless man was doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire as he slept, leaving him with third-degree burns to more than 40 percent of his body.

The 56-year-old man was standing with his clothes singed off when officers found him late Saturday. The lower half of his body was covered with flames.

``It was very bad. His skin was hanging off him, completely charred,'' said Salinas Police Lt. Manuel Perrine. ``From his feet to his waist and everything in between was severely burned.''

The man was hospitalized in serious condition Sunday.

Investigators believe the fire was set on purpose and that whoever was behind it knew the victim and was trying to kill him, although no suspects have been identified, Perrine said.

``It wasn't a cooking accident. We believe it was intentional,'' he said. ``We don't think it's a random thing.''

The results of lab tests on the liquid were still pending, but police suspect it was gasoline. They didn't recover the device that was used to ignite the liquid.

The homeless man was sleeping against the wall of a small medical building when the fire was set, and the smoke and flames blew out the windows and caused moderate damage to the building, Perrine said.