The woman, who is yet to be identified, was burnt from the waist down after a fire in her backyard at Lake Boga ignited her clothes.

Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said the patient had suffered burns to 40 per cent of her body.

“She has burns from the waist down,” he said.

“She has around 40 per cent burns. She is in a serious condition.

“She was initially taken to Swan Hill for treatment and is now being taken to the airfield to be flown to Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.”

The CFA, who attended the fire, said it could have been caused by a burn off.

“We got the call around 5.30pm,” said a CFA spokesman.

“The initial indication is that the fire may have been the result of burning off of rubbish and it caught the grass which caught her clothes.

“A lady in her sixties suffered serious burns to the lower half of her body.”

Last night, as the newspaper went to print, the lady was waiting to be flown to Alfred Hospital in Melbourne and she remained in a serious condition.