Stonington — A construction worker was badly burned over his legs and groin late Wednesday afternoon in an accident at the site of the new Spruce Ridge apartment complex on Route 1 in Pawcatuck.

The incident ocurred at 3:25 p.m., when Pawcatuck Fire Chief Kevin Burns said the man was trying to refuel a running air compressor. He said a nozzle broke and gas spilled on the engine and the man, setting his clothes on fire. Fellow construction workers used fire extinguishers to put out the flames. Burns said the man suffered second- and third-degree burns.

Burns said it was just last week that his department inspected the site and ordered the construction company to install fire extinguishers.

The unidentified man was brought by Westerly Ambulance to the field in front of the nearby Brookside Village apartment complex, where a Life Star helicopter landed at 3:55 p.m. The helicopter took off a few minutes later to bring the man to Rhode Island Hospital.