Qld man pours petrol over himself

Eight police officers have been injured and a man has been hospitalised in a critical condition after he doused himself in petrol in north Queensland.

Police were trying to arrest the man after they responded to reports of an attempted break and enter at a Townsville house around 7.20pm AEST on Thursday.

A man, believed to be under the influence of an illicit drug, reacted aggressively and allegedly smashed a glass table with a chair before swinging it at officers, police say.

He then allegedly threatened the officers with a container of fuel before pouring it over himself.

"He continued to act in an aggressive manner and when officers attempted to detain the man, a struggle ensued where officers were exposed to the petrol," a police statement says.

The officers suffered minor burns and skin irritations from exposure to the petrol on the man's body while they restrained him.

The man was taken into custody where paramedics gave him first aid before he was transported to the Townsville Hospital in a critical condition.