Man Apparently Sets Himself on Fire Outside Donald Trump's DC Hotel

Image: PHOTO: The Trump International Hotel, Washington, D.C. (photo via Flickr/Maxence)
Image: PHOTO: The Trump International Hotel, Washington, D.C. (photo via Flickr/Maxence)
Patrick Clarke
by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 11:00 AM ET, Wed January 18, 2017

A man sustained third-degree burns to roughly 10 percent of his body Tuesday night after apparently setting himself on fire in protest outside of President-elect Donald Trump's new Washington, D.C. hotel.

Citing an anonymous public safety source with knowledge of the incident, the Washington Post reported that emergency personnel arrived on the scene to discover a 45-year-old man using a lighter and accelerant.

The unidentified man told NBC he was from California and was protesting Trump's Inauguration, which will take place in D.C. Friday.

A construction worker who witnessed the incident told the Post he heard the man saying Trump's name and that he appeared to be angry.

"I tried to set myself on fire as an act of protest," the man told reporter Shomari Stone. "...To protest the fact that we've elected somebody completely incapable of respecting the constitution of the United States."

The man was transported to a nearby hospital to be treated for his injuries but his status is unclear.

While undoubtedly the most dramatic form of protest, Tuesday night wasn't the first time Trump's new luxury hotel has been the site of protests against the soon-to-be president. The hotel was vandalized this past fall and it's expected that demonstrators will gather outside of the property for Friday's inauguration, according to the Post.


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