Man sets himself on fire at National Mall

Reader

New Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2004
Messages
7,033
Reaction score
93
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/man-sets-fire-national-mall-report-article-1.1476755

In a bizarre act that capped a nervous few days in Congress, a man poured gasoline on himself and lit himself on fire on the National Mall late Friday afternoon.

Flames and smoke from the self-immolating man near 7th Street and Jefferson Drive, SW, were visible from the Capitol, where some staffers watched the scene from west facing windows, just a day after a car chase that ended with the shooting death of a woman just outside the Hart Senate Office Building.

The incident happened at about 4:30 p.m. on Friday in between the Air and Space Museum and the National Gallery. Passing joggers rushed to the man's aid, several ripping off their shirts to help beat out the flames that burned 80% of his body, ABC reports.

The man reportedly thanked the joggers before he was taken to MedStar Washington Hospital Center by a U.S. Park Police helicopter that landed on the Mall.

Fire department spokesman Tim Wilson said the man suffered life-threatening injuries, but was conscious and breathing at the scene.

Authorities are now investigating the man's motives.........

Long article with pictures....
 
Man sets himself on fire on the National Mall

ERIC TUCKER, AP

21 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man set himself on fire on the National Mall in the nation's capital as passers-by rushed over to help douse the flames, officials and witnesses said Friday afternoon.

The reason for the self-immolation was not immediately clear and the man's identity was not disclosed. But it occurred in public view, on a central national gathering place, in a city still rattled by a mass shooting last month and a high-speed car chase outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday that ended with a woman being shot dead by police...

http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20131004/US-National-Mall-Man-on-Fire/?
 
FWIW the Buddhist monks in Vietnam used to do this back in the early 60s. It was a form of protest.

"Thich Quang Duc[1] (1897 – 11 June 1963, born Lâm Văn Túc), was a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk who burned himself to death at a busy Saigon road intersection on 11 June 1963.[2] Quang Duc was protesting the persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government led by Ngo Dinh Diem. Photographs of his self-immolation were circulated widely across the world and brought attention to the policies of the Diệm government. As President Kennedy said in reference to a photograph of Duc on fire, “No news picture in history has generated so much emotion around the world as that one."[3] Malcolm Browne won a Pulitzer Prize for his renowned photograph of the monk's death. After his death, his body was re-cremated, but his heart remained intact.[4]"

Thich Quang Duc - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Black and white photo that won Pulitzer Prize on Wikipedia.
 
Speaking of that ^ I read General Giap's obit today, which made me think of Vietnam, which made me think of burning monks, and then I saw this.
 
FWIW the Buddhist monks in Vietnam used to do this back in the early 60s. It was a form of protest.


The difference is the witnesses did not rush in to put the monks flames out...many respected that it was their choice. If the had been doused the monks would have likely died an even slower much more painful death from the burns.
 
The pictures of this man on fire are so moving, in a terrible sort of way. The people dousing him, while undoubtedly having the best of intentions, have now, as Sonya pointed out, made his suffering worse. When I see the pictures of those men trying to help, I'm screaming silently inside for them to GET AWAY. I don't know if this man did what he did because he was mentally ill, or because it was a true act of protest, but either way my heart goes out to him. :(

There is a strange mood in the country lately, isn't there? Not sure what it is, or what's going on, if anything, but... :confused:
 
Regardless of why it happened or what happens from here, I ADMIRE the people who stopped and did everything they possibly could to help a fellow Human. Being. who was in an obvious dire situation.
 
If I purposely doused myself w/gasoline and lit a match, I would hope people would stand back and let me go. The pain and suffering must be immense for this poor man now. I know the passer'sby meant well, but this man's physical pain must be excruciating. And his future quality of life is very low, most likely. Poor soul.
 
The pictures of this man on fire are so moving, in a terrible sort of way. The people dousing him, while undoubtedly having the best of intentions, have now, as Sonya pointed out, made his suffering worse. When I see the pictures of those men trying to help, I'm screaming silently inside for them to GET AWAY. I don't know if this man did what he did because he was mentally ill, or because it was a true act of protest, but either way my heart goes out to him. :(

There is a strange mood in the country lately, isn't there? Not sure what it is, or what's going on, if anything, but... :confused:

BBM - Yes, there is a strange mood, not only in this country, but in the world. I've felt it very much - seems to me it is the changing of the age - things will never be the same, and those of us going through it need to be very grounded. Even so, it is a strange, hard time to be going through.
 
The people dousing him, while undoubtedly having the best of intentions, have now, as Sonya pointed out, made his suffering worse.

Yeah when I read the headline first thought was "A crowded mall is a BAD place to do that!" because of all of the people, fire extinguishers, etc....
 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...e1f5ac-2d53-11e3-b141-298f46539716_story.html

WASHINGTON — A District of Columbia police spokesman says a man who set himself on fire on the National Mall has died of his injuries.

Officer Araz Alali says the man died Friday night at a Washington hospital where he had been airlifted.

He says the man was so badly burned that he will need to be identified through DNA and dental records............


Most merciful thing that could have happened to me.

RIP dear man...I hope we can learn more about your story....


:rose:
 
If I purposely doused myself w/gasoline and lit a match, I would hope people would stand back and let me go. The pain and suffering must be immense for this poor man now. I know the passer'sby meant well, but this man's physical pain must be excruciating. And his future quality of life is very low, most likely. Poor soul.


There must be something wrong with me. I do not feel sorry for this fire ball.


it is natural for people to help in emergency situations and they probably thought it was. Now if this guy really did set himself on fire to die he should have selected a more private place (out of the public eye) to do it.

I bet tax payers will have to help pay for his recovery. JMO
 
There must be something wrong with me. I do not feel sorry for this fire ball.


it is natural for people to help in emergency situations and they probably thought it was. Now if this guy really did set himself on fire to die he should have selected a more private place (out of the public eye) to do it.

I bet tax payers will have to help pay for his recovery. JMO

Well, he died so there won't be a recovery. Satisfied?
 
Though it is a rather odd duo of deaths...the crazy woman and now the man.
 
People that set themselves ablaze have always puzzled me.
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
177
Guests online
2,060
Total visitors
2,237

Forum statistics

Threads
589,962
Messages
17,928,386
Members
228,020
Latest member
DazzelleShafer
Back
Top