Tasmania Police were called to Frederick Street, Launceston, about 8pm on Tuesday following reports that a man was on fire.

It is believed that the man was cooking food on a camping stove, when his clothing caught alight.

The man was taken to Launceston General Hospital before being transported to Royal Hobart Hospital on Wednesday morning, where he later passed away.

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Tasmania Police confirmed the man was aged in his 50s and that they were preparing a report for the coroner.

St Vincent de Paul chief executive Lara Alexander said the man's death was a "tragic incident" and highlighted the importance of supporting people experiencing homelessness.

"Obviously this is an absolutely tragic situation and it's something that when you look at it, could have been avoided," she said

"It makes you stop and pause, and think about the potential dangers people experiencing homelessness face.

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"Where something as simple as cooking a meal could result in a tragic accident."

Ms Alexander said St Vincent de Paul would be making additional efforts to engage with the Launceston's homeless community in wake of the man's death.

"We don't know what drove him to be there, whether he didn't have access to other services or wasn't aware of the services available to him," she said

"We don't have those answers yet but once we do, it would give us more to think about what more can we do to make it as easy as possible for people experiencing homelessness to reach out to us."

The increased dangers faced by people experiencing homelessness was something that Ms Alexander said the wider community often didn't fully comprehend.

"It really reminds you of how hard life can be for people experiencing homelessness," she said.

"There are so many things that we do in our day to day life that we take for granted."

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