Police release name of man who died after catching fire under bridge

Update 12-15: Palm Springs Police have released the identity of the man who died after catching fire under a bridge on Ramon Road last month. Lt. Mike Kovaleff says that 35-year old Duane Jacob Holland, from Glendora, California was positively identified by the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office. The cause of his death is pending toxicology results says Kovaleff.

UPDATE: Police say the man, still unidentified, died of his injuries at a regional burn unit.

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A man was taken to the hospital in critical condition after police say he accidentally set himself on fire while trying to make a methamphetamine-type substance underneath a bridge in Palm Springs.

Police Lieutenant Mike Kovaleff said authorities were called to the Ramon Road bridge, located between Landau Boulevard and Crossley Road, just after 3 p.m. Friday.

A Riverside County sheriff’s deputy and another person in the area spotted the man fully engulfed in flames. They tried to extinguish the flames and emergency crews rushed the man to Desert Regional Medical Center.

Officials on scene told News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 the man suffered second and third-degree burns to 70 percent of his body.

A Riverside County Hazardous Materials Team tested substances underneath the bridge. The preliminary investigation indicated the fire was accidental and was caused when a combination of chemical ignited while the man tried to make a form of methamphetamine, Lt. Kovaleff said.

The man hasn’t been identified at this time.

Emergency crews were on scene for over three hours. Eastbound traffic was diverted for about an hour, but lanes were open in both directions.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Palm Springs Police Department at 760-323-8116.