Person in critical condition after catching fire in Newmarket, Auckland

A badly burned man was taken to Middlemore Hospital in critical condition. Photo / Supplied

A naked man has been rushed to hospital after catching fire in Auckland's Newmarket today.

A Remuera man heading to Newmarket for supermarket shopping found himself caught in a cluster of emergency vehicles focused on the wellbeing on the burned man standing halfway up a car ramp on Nuffield St.

"He was burned, mate, he was burned from head to toe. He wasn't even making any noise. And he was totally nude."

The eyewitness watched as a fire officer approached the man with a hose and directed a stream of water at him. Minutes passed with so much water aimed at the man that the guttering on the road filled as if it were pouring with rain, he said.

A woman also watching told the eyewitness she had heard a loud bang before the man emerged, apparently leaving a black people carrier vehicle at the top of the ramp.

Ambulance and police staff arrived and the man was directed towards an ambulance. The eyewitness said he was stunned to see the man covered in what appeared to be serious burns yet still able to walk to the ambulance.

"They didn't put any burns stuff on him. They just put him in the back of the ambulance nude."

Emergency services were called to Newmarket at 2.30pm.

St John said it sent five vehicles to a "fire incident" in the Auckland suburb. One person in critical condition was treated and taken to Middlemore Hospital.

Fire and Emergency NZ said they responded to a grass fire where one person was reported to have burns.