A man in a motorized wheelchair lit his coat on fire outside the White House on Friday, triggering a frenzied response from the Secret Service and a security lockdown.
“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,” the Secret Service said in a statement. “Uniformed Division Officers immediately responded, extinguished the fire and rendered first aid.”
The agency added: “The male subject has been transported to a local hospital with what appears to be non-life threatening injuries.”
The blaze was extinguished before local firefighters could respond, said Doug Buchanan, a spokesman for the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services.
It was not immediately clear if the man was protesting something and the White House’s North Lawn remain closed as the investigation continued, the Washington Post reported.
Photos posted by CBS News correspondent Mark Knoller showed four uniformed officers carrying the man in the aftermath of the incident.
Reporters stationed at the White House quickly posted images and detailed descriptions of the chaotic scene as it unfolded.
“The fire set off a good amount of smoke that was visible from the White House North Lawn,” tweeted CNN White House correspondent Jeremy Diamond. “Officers quickly scrambled to clear pedestrians from Pennsylvania Ave, running & shouting at people to clear the area.”
NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell posted a photo of lensmen standing atop ladders trying to snap pictures of the scene.
“Media trying to cover security incident with Secret Service keeping everyone back,” she wrote.