Harold Duncan-Williams and his family had planned to spend the long weekend at Alouette Lake camping with some close friends, but wound up at Vancouver General Hospital where he is recovering from burns over more than 50 percent of his body.

“After about 10 seconds of being on fire, I gave up. I’m not going to lie,” he said as he described the accident that caused injuries to his abdomen, back, arms and hands.

On Friday, after mixing motor oil and gasoline to run a small generator, Harold began to build a fire and didn’t realize some of the fuel had splashed onto his flammable cotton-lycra shirt. Flames quickly engulfed him.

"I was worried that it would kill him, to be honest,” said Melisa Duncan-Williams, his wife. “Because the flames kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger, and it was above his head and all over his body."

Friends quickly sprang into action – helping Harold peel off his shirt and spraying him with water before calling 911.

Harold was transported to VGH’s Burn Unit by air ambulance.

The family has five children, and three of them were all there to witness the accident from just metres away.

"They broke down when they saw me laying there because I'm their dad. I'm supposed to be there for them,” said Harold.

The couple had to quickly figure out how to have difficult conversations with their children about the trauma they had seen.

"Just explaining to them that it's been a tragedy, but to be grateful that daddy is still here, he's still alive. It could have been a lot worse,” said Melisa.

Harold now faces several weeks in the hospital and his full recovery will take months, if not a year – and it will be some time before he can return to his job as an actor.

Family and friends have set up a GoFundMe campaign, and within the first few hours, thousands of dollars had poured in to help the family through these next few trying months.

"Thank you so much. I couldn't thank you enough. We're truly overwhelmed with the love and the support,” said Melisa, who couldn’t sleep for the first few nights, worrying not only about her husband’s health but also how the family would pay the bills while he’s in hospital.

Recalling the moments of uncertainty while his body burned, and the decisive action of friends who jumped in to douse the flames and get medical help, Harold’s brush with tragedy has helped put things in perspective.

“Family and close friends,” he said. “That’s what counts.”