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Man sustains serious burns after setting himself on fire at UC Berkeley, leaves 2 witnesses injured

A woman and another person who attempted to extinguish the fire received minor burn treatment at a different hospital

BERKELEY, CALIIFORNIA: A man was seen lighting himself on fire close to a University of California campus on Wednesday, March 1. Authorities are currently looking into the claim that a man caught fire at 4.17 pm near a busy UC Berkeley intersection.

The man who lit himself on fire, according to Berkeleyside, was in his twenties. He was sent to a nearby trauma facility to receive treatment for his injuries after suffering second- and third-degree burns across much of his body. Authorities reported that a woman who attempted to extinguish the fire received minor burn treatment at a different hospital. Additionally, another person who attempted to assist was also burned; they were treated there and eventually released. A spokesperson from the UC campus stated, "The person's identity and condition is unknown at this time. We do not know if the individual is affiliated with the university," according to The US Sun.

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'Some people were visually traumatized'

The spokesperson went on to say that authorities are aware of the online posting of the incident's videos. "Please take advantage of campus resources as needed. Students seeking counseling services may receive support through Counseling and Psychological Services," the spokesperson stated.

Tony Delacruz, who works at the UC Student Shop, told Berkeleyside that he heard shouting as he was returning from his break. He claimed to have seen a man "completely engulfed in flames" when he hurried outside. He reported that the man appeared "indifferent" to the fire but became aggressive with onlookers.

Delacruz claims that when he returned after running inside the store to get a fire extinguisher, another man had already started trying to do the same thing. "I hope he gets help, and that everyone around the situation is okay," he said. "I noticed some people were visually traumatized by what they saw. There's a lot of freshman students in this area."

'Hats off to the people who tried to save this man'

Many people have shared their views on the sad event with one person writing, "Poor sick desperate soul. If he survives his injuries he’ll always be disfigured and his troubles will be even more overwhelming than before. God bless and help him."

One concerned person wrote, "This is awful... very sad... he didn’t appear be yelling out in pain... what’s the update on him?" This other person, who had also had burns, wrote, "He's no idea what grueling pain is coming. girl I know got burnt badly. hospitalized about a month. daily had to scrub the burns so the fresh skin could start growing right. I watched her scrub it, horribly painful."

"If you’ve learned anything these last few years, when you walk out your door for the day, be ready for anything. Hats off to the people who tried to save this man," a fourth person wrote. "It brings tears to my eyes why human beings find so difficult to understand that no matter how hard we try, sometimes things can not be change," another person wrote.

This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online