It happened around 3 a.m. on Tuesday around Frankford and Torresdale avenues.
Investigators say the man was trying to take some kind of PECO electrical equipment when he caught on fire and suffered third-degree burns.
He managed to run a few blocks to Kensington and Hunting Park Avenues.
The man was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition.
PECO and the fire marshal remain on the scene.