BOSTON (AP) – A 14-year-old boy whose Halloween costume was set ablaze in front of hundreds of students at Ellsworth High School said he can’t explain why a classmate tried not once but three times to ignite his costume with a cigarette lighter.

Donald Awalt of Ellsworth is recovering at Brigham and Women’s Hospital with burns over 35 percent of his body, mostly his back and legs.

Awalt was wearing a GI Joe costume on Oct. 30 for the school’s annual Spook Day assembly, where he was sitting behind Lucas White, 15, of Otis. White has been charged in juvenile court with one count of arson, two counts of elevated aggravated assault and two counts of aggravated assault. He has denied the charges.

Police said that moments before White allegedly flicked the lighter, students overheard him say, “I wonder if this will burn.” Awalt said, “Lucas turned around, tried it twice, and I pushed him away twice, and the third time he got me. He started at the bottom of my pants.”

Students screamed as Awalt became engulfed in flames. His costume ablaze, he said he bolted down the bleachers as students screamed, dropped to the gymnasium floor and rolled to douse the flames.

“I was just thinking, ‘Put it out,”‘ Awalt said.

Awalt’s grandparents, Earl and Lorraine Awalt, said they believe he is tenacious enough to handle the painful recovery process, which is complicated by diabetes.

Awalt’s grandparents, who are also his legal guardians, said they cannot comprehend why anyone would purposely ignite the boy’s costume. “There was no reasoning,” Earl Awalt said. “The kid made three attempts to do this. He tried three times to set Donald on fire.”

Awalt’s first skin graft operation, scheduled for Wednesday, had to be postponed until his diabetes improves and other procedures can be done, according to his grandparents.

Awalt’s family is bracing for a long recovery.

AP-ES-11-08-03 1803EST