An Air Force veteran set himself on fire on Tuesday outside the Georgia state Capitol building in Atlanta because he was fed up with the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
Georgia State Patrol Capt. Mark Perry told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the veteran began walking toward the Capitol at 10:30 a.m., then several loud explosions were heard.
“He was strapped with some homemade incendiary devices [and] firecrackers, and doused himself with some kind of flammable liquid,” Perry said.
According to authorities, a trooper witnessed the events and put out the fire with an extinguisher.
The 58-year-old veteran, whose name has not been released, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital where he is being treated for burns that cover over 85 to 90 percent of his body.
