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  LiveWire / Teen Forums / World News & Current Events / Viewing Topic

Man Pours Gasoline Over Body and Lights Himself on Fire
Replies: 13Last Post Nov. 3, 2008 9:15pm by Putinist
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Web Resources: Suicide Myths Dispelled, Suicide Information
USA Suicide Hotline: 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)
Web Resources: Drug Myths Dispelled, Drug & Alcohol Information
USA Drug Abuse Hotline: 1-800-662-4357
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Like most students on most days, senior Rose Smith was walking through Red Square yesterday, talking on her cell phone.

She was near Kane Hall when a flame from across the square caught her attention.


"I thought, 'Oh my God, someone's shoes are on fire,'" she said. "All of a sudden there was this explosion that was like a mushroom cloud."

As the flames grew, Smith said, more people rushed toward them, trying to put them out. It was only then that she realized it was a man on fire.

"I rushed forward," she said. "I had a water bottle in my backpack and I used that. I just threw it."

The man, a 61-year-old former UW employee, had lit himself on fire, said Ralph Robinson, assistant chief of field operations for the UWPD. No other people were injured. The man's name has not yet been released.

He was rushed to Harborview Medical Center at about 1:30 p.m. and died later yesterday afternoon. His motive, at press time, was unknown.

For the students at the scene, the moments before the police arrived were surreal.

"It seemed like an eternity [before they arrived]," said sophomore Omar Shaukat, who saw the flames from the flag pole near Memorial Lane. He ran to the scene as well.

"People were grabbing whatever they had to put the fire out," he said. "One guy in particular was only down to his boxers ... it was almost heroic."

Shaukat didn't believe that it was a body burning until the flame was extinguished.

"It kind of hit me," he said. "You never expect it to happen in the heart of the University campus."

One student, who had taken off all of his clothes except for his underwear, was kneeling on a bench near the man, Smith said. He had his arms raised, and he started praying.

"I was just in shock," Smith said. "My heart sank, and the pit of my stomach was heavy. I thought he was dead at first, and I thought 'I just saw someone burn to death'."

Junior Joe Chang was walking up the steps near By George when he saw the flames. As he rushed to the body, he began dialing 911.

"I was shocked and I couldn't think straight, he said. "My other friend was there, and she was in shock and started crying."

Smith said the man started to gain consciousness as they waited for the police.

"When he started moaning, I was just hoping that he'd stay alive for the ambulance," she said.

Justin Norman, a UW alumnus, documented the scene with his camera. He was walking from the Quad to get lunch when he saw "a raging inferno."

"It erupted and some people ran away, [but] instantly people ran back to the scene," he said.

UW spokesman Norm Arkans said the student response was amazing.

"Obviously a troubled individual took his own life, and we have to be sensitive to that," he said. "But I think [the student response] is a terrific story to tell ... I just think you're an amazing generation, and it doesn't surprise me."

Norman said he wasn't surprised either.

"I've seen some things, people going above and beyond," he said. "People are good people, and they help other people."


Source: http://dailyuw.com/2008/10/31/students-rush-save-man-who-set-himself-fire/


Crazy stuff.  If only I wasn't busy taking a midterm, I would have been there to see it.

Often makes me wonder what could compel a person to commit suicide like that.  People say that those who are contemplating suicide aren't thinking logically, but I must digress.  Seems to me that that these people do think logically, but with such different assumptions (and usually perceived wrongly) and often brain chemicals that aren't working right that it simply doesn't make sense to somebody who's thinking "normally."  Thus the logical conclusion that death is the only way out comes into being.

But that's just my opinion.  Obviously that conclusion I mentioned is wrong and if you ever speak to somebody who's feeling suicidal and don't intend to have them seek for professional help, you'd have to counter how they're thinking and point out where it's fallacious, and then give them a more optimistic alternative view.  And sometimes it's even simpler than that.  Either way, though, it's sad what happened yesterday.


2:06 pm on Oct. 31, 2008 | Joined: Dec. 2004 | Days Active: 1,380
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tell me again


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Excuse me? "People are good people and they help other people"? Is this a joke, this man was obv not helped soon enough.

2:12 pm on Oct. 31, 2008 | Joined: June 2006 | Days Active: 784
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carracer


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That it awful.

Kudos though to the students who tried to help the guy.




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2:13 pm on Oct. 31, 2008 | Joined: Dec. 2007 | Days Active: 274
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taraxgoesxboom


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That's crazy, poor man =\

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immoraldan


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To see it?!?!

Id've been there with a fire extinguisher,a blanket and a cup of coffee.

If he was doing it for a real cause (getting Brand and Ross their jobs back for instance :P) then fair enough!


2:13 pm on Oct. 31, 2008 | Joined: April 2008 | Days Active: 46
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gdeeaz


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that is horrible.

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Quote: from tell me again at 2:12 pm on Oct. 31, 2008

Excuse me? "People are good people and they help other people"? Is this a joke, this man was obv not helped soon enough.


Simply because you weren't able to help somebody in time doesn't mean that the good intent wasn't there.  That's essentially what they were recognizing.  As soon as the guy poured gasoline all over himself, one guy did try to stop him, but he pushed him away.  That was the one guy that was in only his boxers, as the fire caught to his clothes, too.

It's hard to say why nobody he personally knew helped him when he was feeling down (it's pretty common that suicidal notions aren't noticed by family members or close friends), but to be honest, if some guy sitting next to you just poured gasoline all over himself and then got out the matches, what would you do?  The fact that somebody jumped in there at all despite that danger is rather amazing, I think.


2:24 pm on Oct. 31, 2008 | Joined: Dec. 2004 | Days Active: 1,380
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Quote: from immoraldan at 2:13 pm on Oct. 31, 2008

Id've been there with a fire extinguisher,a blanket and a cup of coffee.


I honestly doubt it.  The closest fire extinguisher took about a minute to run and grab.  It's hardly as if people saw this coming.  In reality, when things like this happen, they occur so suddenly that you're shocked and don't know what to do.  I'm pretty sure that's what happened to the vast majority of students seeing the event.


2:26 pm on Oct. 31, 2008 | Joined: Dec. 2004 | Days Active: 1,380
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immoraldan


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^^ Very true, and the display of heroism is pretty inspirational; though as disgusting as it is it wouldn't have taken a lot of effort to have pissed the guy out!

It's strange; for some reason I respect the Buddhist who did it for peace, but to do something so wreckless without a vain motive just seems selfish - even though taking your own life is perhaps the most selfish act of all.....


3:45 pm on Oct. 31, 2008 | Joined: April 2008 | Days Active: 46
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Charolastra

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is it possible he was doing it in protest of something?

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MaryLin


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Now that guy is probably someone's father, brother etc. I feel sorry for his family. What a way to commit suicide...

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PrideAndJoy


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Fuck, man. I saw UW and thought Wisconsin?! Nope, Washington.

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Quote: from charolastra at 2:13 pm on Nov. 1, 2008

is it possible he was doing it in protest of something?


I honestly doubt it.  People who do this sort of thing in protest usually make their intentions pretty clear.  This guy did not.


5:52 pm on Nov. 3, 2008 | Joined: Dec. 2004 | Days Active: 1,380
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Putinist


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Intresting.

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