Man who set himself on fire in Washington dies

WASHINGTON — A District of Columbia police spokesman says a man who set himself on fire on the National Mall has died of his injuries.

Officer Araz Alali says the man died Friday night at a Washington hospital where he had been airlifted.

He says the man was so badly burned that he will need to be identified through DNA and dental records.

The man poured a can of gasoline on himself in the center portion of the mall Friday afternoon. He then set himself on fire, with passing joggers taking off their shirts to help douse the flames.

Police are investigating the man’s possible motives for doing so.