A Florida nudist was set on fire when a recreational vehicle generator on which he was working backfired and sprayed him starter fluid, a report said.

Paul Kuschel received second- and third-degree burns on the right side of his body in the Sunday mishap that caused $5,000 in damage to the RV.

The fire burned me up pretty good, Kuschel told the Fort Pierce (Fla.) TCPalm of the blaze at Sunnier Palms Nudist Park.

While Kuschel was wearing nylon shorts, "It's a good thing I wasn't wearing a shirt," he said.

Doctors who treated him wanted to send him to a burn center, but Kuschel said he could not afford to lose his job as a carpenter. So he reported to work Monday even though he could not swing a hammer.

"I'm just a tough old mule, I guess," said the 43-year-old.

He and his wife were back to living in the tent they used since February, when they moved to Florida from Dayton, Ohio.