A man was seen walking across a lawn near the White House engulfed in flames after he set himself on fire.
Graphic video of the incident, around midday local time, has emerged. Surrounding streets were closed off and the US Secret Service said that a man had set himself on fire.
Authorities from the National Park Service and US Park Police were in attendance, they added in a Tweet.
A second piece of footage shows the man strolling along the lawn whilst ablaze.
Emergencies service arrived and extinguished the flames as the man stood motionless.
It’s possible he was wearing some sort of protective suite, allowing him to walk and stand.
The man’s condition is not known but it is believed that he was taken to a nearby hospital.
More than 70 officers swarmed to the area from multiple agencies, a spokesman for the Washington Fire Department said.
They told CNBC: “I can confirm that we’ve transported one patient with burns from the Ellipse and we’re now on the scene assisting law enforcement.”
BREAKING: A man has set himself on fire in front of the White House #whitehouse #chabad #NEWS pic.twitter.com/bnW1PDVnpe
— jewishnationalnews (@jewishnational1) May 29, 2019
Ask me anything
Explore related questions