DENVER -- A Montrose man is hospitalized in critical condition after a propane heater in his rental home exploded when he lit a cigarette.

The blast occurred shortly before 8:30 a.m. Tuesday on 61.75 Road in Montrose County.

"When I came down, he was crawling out through the rafters," neighbor Les Cook told the Montrose Daily Press. "I couldn't believe it. I thought he was a goner."

Lewie Wilson, 76, was taken to a Montrose hospital, then flown to North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley.

Cook said the smell of propane was so strong at the home Tuesday morning that he felt woozy. He shut off the propane and told Wilson to air out the house.

A deputy fire chief said that Wilson decided to sit down and have coffee and a cigarette, and that likely ignited the explosion.