Woman sets self on fire, walks around Miami mall

[Kadie]

Woman sets self on fire, walks around Miami mall

By MATT SEDENSKY, Associated Press Writer

Thursday, August 13, 2009

(08-13) 14:57 PDT MIAMI (AP) --

A woman set herself on fire at a Miami mall Thursday, then walked around engulfed in flames as shocked shoppers watched, authorities said.

Two men and a woman who tried to help her were hurt, but not badly.

The 43-year-old woman, whose name was not released, doused herself with a flammable liquid at the Mall of the Americas, said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokesman Arnold Piedrahita. She had third-degree burns over 75 percent of her body and was found conscious in a parking lot. Authorities do not know why she set herself on fire.

snip...
Witnesses said she was in a clothing store called Savage Boutique when it happened. Jose Morales, 24, said he was about to pay for earrings for his girlfriend at a nearby kiosk when he heard screams and thought someone had fallen.

When he turned around, he saw the blaze and realized someone was within it.

"This woman is just walking like this, super slow, completely on fire," Morales said, his arms stretched out at his side to show what the woman looked like as she walked out of the store. "You couldn't see nothing but fire."

more...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/08/13/national/a141337D23.DTL&tsp=1

[BlooInBloo]

1. Oh jeebus.

:(

[NightWatcher]

2. self-immolation is a severe but effective attention grabbing act

I'd be curious to see if there were a suicide note left behind.

[backscatter712]

7. It's a neat trick, but chances are you can only do it once... n/t

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. What a hot topic.

[PretzelWarrior]

18. yeah. let's get 50 replies so we get the appropriate flames icon.

[RagAss]

4. Is this rare for a woman to do this?

[TahitiNut]

10. Medium rare

... or well done.

:hide:

[PretzelWarrior]

19. holy crap. you guys are on fire! lol.

oops. did it again.

[Turbineguy]

5. What's wrong with me?

I can't seem to think of a humorous remark to go with this.

[KittyWampus]

6. maybe a limerick using "auto da fe"

[Freddie Stubbs]

8. At a mall? Must have been a fire sale

;)

[KittyWampus]

11. OMG!

:O

Who has the self immolating stick figure?

[TahitiNut]

21. What a waste. Nobody brought marshmallows.

:hide:

[hfojvt]

9. yeah sure, rhat's the cover story

it was really spontaneous human combustion :scared: :tinfoilhat:

[SIMPLYB1980]

12. That's horrible.

I've always thought that fire would be the worst way to go. So many less painful way's. Why chose that unless you are trying to make a point?

[Fleshdancer]

13. Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?

Don'tcha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me? Don'tcha?

:rofl:

[Beer on a stick]

14. Brings to mind Akroyd's "Johnny Human Torch".....

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/77/77dconsumerprobe.phtml

Joan Face: What about this? < holds up new costume > Johnny Human Torch? It's a bag of oily rags and a lighter!

Irwin Mainway: This happens to be a favorite of mine, because it's a low-price Halloween costume. < tears it open > It's really one of the more exciting ones. You take the rags, you just pin 'em on there like a hobo, you know? And then flame on, lights up the night! It's a beautiful costume, I think.

[loyalkydem]

15. Oh my god

why would you do something like that.

[Fire1]

16. Bet she was a birther. n/t

[Th1onein]

17. I bet she was on an SSRI medication.

n/t

[PretzelWarrior]

20. it was a protest against global warming and carbon emissions.