LUTZ, Fla. (WFLA) — A tree trimmer is in critical condition after striking a live power line in Lutz on Thursday.

“It was really scary at first,” Chelsea Barron said as she watched first responders walk through the front yard of one of her neighbors’ properties.

Barron got home Thursday morning to a slew of emergency vehicles in front of her home.

“Honestly it kind of sent me into an anxiety attack because I had no idea what was going on,” she said.

Fire crews told 8 On Your Side around 9:15 a.m., a man was up in a rented boom lift–now visibly charred–when he hit a live power line with a chain saw.

“When that happened, he actually caught fire,” Pasco County Fire Rescue Division Chief Shawn Whited said. “His clothes caught fire.”

Whited says that man, now on fire in this backyard, had a quick decision to make.

“The gentleman ended up jumping out of the lift, which was about 40 feet in the air,” he explained. “He landed on the ground

When his crews arrived, the lift was on fire.

Whited says the lesson learned Thursday is to always take precautions when around power lines.

“They’re dangerous,” he said. “A great lesson we learned today is those power lines are dangerous; be careful around those power lines.”

The tree trimmer was airlifted to the hospital and is in critical condition.

This is a developing story. Stay up to date on the latest from News Channel 8 on-air and on the go with the free WFLA News Channel 8 mobile app.