A man suffered second-degree burns when he tried to throw a burning Christmas tree out the window of his second-story apartment in Santa Monica on Monday afternoon.

Firefighters were called to the three-story residential and commercial structure at Ninth Street and Wilshire Boulevard shortly before 4 p.m., said Santa Monica Deputy Fire Chief Tom Clemo.

Clemo said that while firefighters are still investigating why the tree caught fire, “it may have been an electrical short.” The flames were doused when the building’s sprinklers were activated.

He said the man, whose name was not released, was taken to a hospital for treatment of second-degree burns. He’s expected to survive.