Shocking pictures have captured the moment a man set himself on fire outside of the White House .
Emergency services rushed to the scene to extinguish the man and deliver treatment after the incident earlier this evening.
Streets near to the President's residence in Washington DC were cordoned off and the man was since taken to hospital.
Footage also shows the a large cloud coating the man, which appears to be from a fire extinguisher, as the Mirror reports.
The Secret Service has tweeted: "At approximately 12.20pm. a man lit himself on fire on the Ellipse near 15th and Constitution Ave., Secret Service personnel are on scene assisting (National Park Service) and (US Park Police ) in rendering first aid."
The man may have been wearing a protective suit, website TMZ has speculated, because he was able to walk calmly while on fire. They also reported the man has been arrested.
A spokesman for the Washington Fire Department told CNBC: “I can confirm that we’ve transported one patient with burns from the Ellipse and we’re now on the scene assisting law enforcement."
Krisjan Berzins said his daughter began recording after spotting the burning man.
“According to my daughter…she just saw a person that was on fire running across the White House lawn,” Berzins tweeted.
“Police and rescue have responded. They’re closing all surrounding streets right now.”
The man's condition is not known at this stage.
It was the second such incident since April 12, when a man in a wheelchair-type electric scooter lit his jacket on fire outside the White House fence.
The Ellipse is a 52-acre park located south of the White House fence and north of Constitution Avenue and the National Mall.
It is sometimes referred to as President's Park South and features various monuments as well as hosting official events.
The White House has not commented officially on the incident yet.
Earlier today Robert Mueller delivered his first verbal statement on his report into alleged collusion between Donald Trump's campaign and Russia in the run up to the 2016 presidential election.
