GREENE — A Patten Road man was hospitalized Thursday after trying to fight flames that engulfed his garage.

Richard Sanford was being treated at Central Maine Medical Center on Thursday night after suffering smoke inhalation and burns.

Sanford suffered minor burns on his face and hands after paper flew out of a wood stove and set the detached garage on fire, said his wife, Thelma.

“It just got out of hand,” she said. “He tried to put it out, but it got the best of him and he got out of the building. By the time he got my attention, it was fully engulfed.”

Firefighters went to the home at 74 Patten Road and put out the fire before it spread to nearby buildings. The garage was burned nearly flat.

“It’s totaled,” Thelma said. “There’s just a partial wall standing there now and that will need to come down.”

Firefighters in Greene were joined by others from Leeds. Water was accessed from a source along Route 202.

Thelma said the garage was built a few years ago, made to be handicapped accessible so her husband could use it. Richard Sanford was injured a few years ago after falling off a ladder.

Thelma said her husband was expected to remain hospitalized for at least a few days. She did not know whether he would be home for Christmas.

“He’ll be there for a while,” she said.

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Dick and Thelma Sanford’s garage at 74 Patten Road in Greene burned Thursday.