Man sets himself on fire near US capitol building

A man set himself on fire on the National Mall near the US Congress in Washington Friday afternoon, as passers-by rushed over to help douse the flames. 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 US Capitol on Thursday that ended with a woman being shot dead by police. The man on the Mall suffered life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to the hospital, said District of Columbia fire department spokesman Tim Wilson. He was in critical condition late Friday, according to the hospital's Twitter feed. He was standing by himself in the center portion of the Mall when he emptied the contents of a red gasoline can on himself and set himself on fire moments later, said Katy Scheflen, who witnessed it as she walked across the area. Scheflen said passing joggers took off their shirts in an effort to help douse the flames, and the man was clearly alive as the fire spread. A police department spokesman said he was conscious and breathing at the scene. The DC police department has dispatched its violent crimes branch, which responds to cases in which a person suffers serious injury.