Out of the Dumpster and into the fire? Actually, no.

A homeless man was injured this morning after some garbage caught on fire around him while he slept, Fire Department Spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said. Early reports of a person injured climbing out of a burning Dumpster turned out to be untrue.

The fire at 22nd and Bartlett streets was reported about 10 a.m. by a caller who told the Fire Department that a person was climbing out of a burning Dumpster. As it turns out, the victim was sleeping in a wheelchair behind a restaurant where there were garbage bins and trash strewn about, Talmadge said.

The fire was believed to have been started by a cigarette, she said.

The man was taken to the hospital and treated for burns to his foot. No other nearby structures were damaged.

rnagle@sfexaminer.com