Charles Ballard, 46, suffered the burns on his right arm, neck and left side of his face, Santa Rosa Battalion Chief Andy Pforsich said.
He and other tenants near his residence on Ludwig Avenue in Roseland were able to put out the small fire that burned grass, an exterior wall and a bamboo fence, Pforsich said.
Ballard first called 911 but the call was delayed as it was routed to the California Highway Patrol and Ballard drove to the Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital urgent care center on Fulton Road. He was then taken by ambulance to Memorial Hospital then transferred to the St. Francis Burn Center in San Francisco, Pforsich said.
The fire started because the propane cylinder did not have a regulator valve and the dryer was over-fueled, Pforsich said. The dryer was left at the residence by a previous tenant and Ballard was using it for the first time Sunday when the explosion occurred, Pforsich said.
