A man has been charged with attempted murder after he allegedly threw a flammable liquid over a woman and set her on fire in Melbourne's north.

Police allege a 41-year-old man threw a flammable substance over a 35-year-old woman outside a home on View Street, Glenroy about 6.40am yesterday.

He then set fire to the woman, police allege.

The Glenroy man was arrested at the scene.

The Glenroy woman was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, where she remains in a critical but stable condition.

The man has since been charged with attempted murder and has been remanded to appear before Melbourne Magistrates' Court on November 7.

The pair are known to each other.

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