A Man Has Set Himself On Fire Outside The White House

An unidentified man has set himself on fire outside the White House, according to the Secret Service.

A Secret Service spokesman said: "At approximately 12:20pm a man lit himself on fire on the Ellipse near 15th and Constitution Avenue.

"Secret Service personnel are on scene assisting @NatlParkService and @usparkpolicepio in rendering first aid."

Twitter

A later update from the Washington Fire Department confirmed it was dealing with 'one patient with burns', with a spokesman telling 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."

The incident took place on The Ellipse, a 52-acre park located south of the White House fence and north of Constitution Avenue and the National Mall. Nearby streets were cordoned off.

Many witnesses shared horrifying footage of the incident on Twitter.

One person wrote: "The saddest thing I've ever seen. A person set themselves on fire in the park at the south lawn of the Whitehouse. Please pray for their soul."

Someone else tweeted: "The White House lawn is literally on fire."

The White House has not yet commented on the incident.

Topics: World News, US News, USA

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

@Jess_Hardiman