Man lights himself on fire across the street from White House

A man lit himself on fire in front of tourists Wednesday afternoon on the Ellipse, a park across the street from the White House’s south lawn.

The Secret Service tweeted that, at roughly 12:20 p.m., the man “lit himself on fire on the Ellipse near 15th and Constitution Ave., Secret Service personnel are on scene assisting [National Park Service] and [U.S. Park Police] in rendering first aid.”

Secret Service spokesman Jeffrey Adams later said in a statement to CNBC that Uniformed Division officers “responded in seconds” to offer him first aid adding, “the individual is being transported to a local hospital.”

A D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department representative confirmed to CNBC they have “transported one patient with burns from the Ellipse” and are “now on the scene assisting law enforcement.”

There has been no update on the condition of the man, who has not been identified. The White House has not commented publicly on the incident.

A video of the incident was captured by a bystander.