Man sets himself on fire in front of Georgia Capitol

ATLANTA — A man who said he was unhappy with the Department of Veterans Affairs strapped fireworks to his chest and lit himself on fire in front of the Georgia Capitol on Tuesday.

The incident prompted the Capitol building to be evacuated and the surrounding streets to be shut down. No one else was injured.

“He had (fireworks) strapped to himself and as I understand doused himself with some additional flammable and set himself on fire,” said Capt. Mark Perry of the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

Almost simultaneously, Perry said, “one of the Capitol troopers saw what was happening, came out, actually had a fire extinguisher and was able to douse him pretty quickly.”

Law officers have not provided details on the man’s complaints, saying only that he is dissatisfied with the VA system.

Perry said the man’s condition wasn’t immediately known; he was burned but could still speak to officers.

Loud explosions can be heard in video of a news conference that was going on at the time. In the video posted by WSB-TV, Georgia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Natalie Dale pauses several times and looks around nervously as the explosions are heard. Seconds later, the state troopers who were standing behind her hurry off to investigate.