Man in Sydney burns hospital after dousing

A man is in a Sydney hospital after being doused with a flammable liquid and set alight during a row about a dog with a neighbour in Wollongong.

Police say a couple were walking in Myuna Way in Mangerton on Tuesday night when the argument broke out with another man.

A 41-year-old man allegedly splashed a 45-year-old man with an accelerant and set him alight, with the 44-year-old woman trying to extinguish the flames.

The victim suffered serious burns and was treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to Wollongong Hospital.

He was airlifted to the burns unit of Concord hospital in Sydney in a critical condition but his condition is now serious but stable, a hospital spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

The woman, who was burnt while trying to douse the flames, has been discharged from Wollongong Hospital.

The 41-year-old Mangerton man has been charged over the incident. He has been refused bail to appeal before Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday.