A farmer who got his hand stuck in a rusty corn harvester cut off his own arm with a pocketknife to save himself from being burned when the machine caught fire.

Describing the September incident on NBC's "Today Show," Sampson Parker said that he had taken off the glove of his right hand and reached into the machine to remove a corn-stalk when his hand got stuck.

"I went up with my hand and the roller that takes the shucks off the corn had grabbed the glove and pulled my hand into the rollers. The more I tried pulling my hand out, the farther up my hand went," Parker said.

After about an hour and repeated calls for help, Parker said his hand went numb. He began to cut off his fingers but then the rod that he had used to jam the machine began to spark. A grass fire soon began and Parker had no choice but to cut off his arm to keep from being burned. He then ran to his truck and drove to the front of his home, where he was seen by Kershaw firefighter Doug Spinks.

"I came down here, had a prayer with God... Made it easier, made peace with it. I'm just thankful to be alive - to do an interview with you," Parker said.