ASPEN, Colo. -- A Pitkin County man was sentenced to six years on probation Tuesday for pouring paint thinner on three men outside an area campground and then trying to set them on fire with a lighter.

Carolos A. Ronay, 36, who lives between Carbondale and Redstone, had been charged with felony menacing with a deadly weapon as a result of the fight in August 2005.

The dispute between Ronay and one of the men had been simmering for some time, he said. They agreed to meet in the parking lot of a campground and settle their differences one-on-one, but the second man brought two friends with him, Ronay told investigators. That's when he doused them with a flammable liquid.

During the fight, the men kicked Ronay in the head and he required hospitalization for his injuries. The men told investigators they were trying to get a lighter away from him after they were doused.

One of the men told police that he "could have been burned alive." The second man said he "was blinded and I saw flashes coming at me and I just ran. I ran and ripped off my clothes as fast as a I could," according to the arrest warrant obtained by the Aspen Times.

Before sentencing, Ronay apologized and said a substance-abuse problem contributed to the altercation.