A Lisbon man is recovering at a Portland hospital Tuesday after suffering serious burns when his Halloween sheep costume caught fire early Sunday, a state Fire Marshal’s Office investigator said.

Kenneth Daigle Jr., 28, of Lisbon, was at a party with friends in Greene wearing a homemade costume. To look like a sheep, Daigle glued about 1,800 cotton balls to long johns, investigator Chris Stanford said.

At about 2 a.m., Daigle brushed against someone’s cigarette in a garage. Immediately, the cotton balls burst into flames.

“He said he watched it spread from his right arm to the rest of his body in a couple of seconds,” Stanford said. Daigle suffered second- and third-degree burns to his hands, arms and thighs. Some of the glue used to attach the cotton was spray-on, which could have been more inflammable than other types of glue, Stanford said.

After extinguishing the flames, friends drove Daigle to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. From there Daigle was taken by ambulance to the Maine Medical Center’s burn unit, where he’s expected to remain for several more days, Stanford said. He is listed in fair condition, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Daigle’s burns are serious, but Stanford expects Daigle will recover. “I interviewed him. He’s coherent. He’s all bandaged up, but he’s fine. There are no burns to his respiratory system or his face.”

When the costume caught fire, the Fire Department was not called. The state Fire Marshal’s Office investigated because it is mandated to probe any fire that causes deaths or injuries, Stanford said.

– By Bonnie Washuk

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