Man sets himself ON FIRE near White House lawn - Secret Service rush to scene
A MAN has set himself on fire close to the lawn of the White House - the official residency of US President Donald Trump.
White House: Man engulfed in flames after setting himself on fire
Emergency services have rushed to the scene in Washington and cordoned off nearby streets. The man’s condition is not yet known. The White House is yet to officially comment on the incident.
The Secret Service confirmed a man had set himself on fire, and are helping the National Park Service to provide medical treatment.
They tweeted: "At approximately 12.20pm, a man lit himself on fire on the Ellipse near 15th and Constitution Ave.
“Secret Service personnel are on scene assisting National Park Service and US Park Police in rendering first aid."
The Washington Fire department said the man had been taken from the scene with burns.
A spokesman 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."
The Eclipse is park spanning 52-acres which is located south of the White House fence and north of Constitution Avenue and the National Mall.
It is known as Presidents Park South, featuring several monuments while hosting a number of official events.
Alina Berzins, 17, told CNBC she was visiting the National Mall with her two cousins from Bolivia when “we saw this man” on the Ellipse and “he starts running, and then we saw him covered in flames.”
The witness said the man “started to walk”, and then “cops started coming to the area and he collapsed,” before the fire was extinguished.
She added: “Everybody was in shock. “I was in shock.”
The Secret Service said on Twitter: “ALERT: Secret Service personnel are responding to a police/medical incident on Pennsylvania Ave. along the WhiteHouse North Fence Line.”
They later indicated it was an accidental fire.
The Secret Service said: "A male subject operating an electronic wheelchair-type scooter lit his outer jacket on fire while sitting along Pennsylvania Ave. outside the North Fence Line. Uniformed Division Officers immediately responded, extinguished the fire and rendered first aid.
"The male subject has been transported to a local hospital with what appears to be non-life threatening injuries."
News video showed emergency medical personnel arriving to tend to a person who police had surrounded on the ground.
President Donald Trump was in the White House but not in danger, a CNN reporter said on Twitter.
This is a breaking story. More to follow.