Woman sets herself on fire in Chicago lawmaker’s office

A woman set herself on fire after entering Rep. Danny Davis’s (D-Ill.) office on Chicago’s West Side, according to multiple reports.

The woman drank from a bottle of hand sanitizer before pouring it over herself and setting herself ablaze with a lighter, The Associated Press said Wednesday.

{mosads}The Chicago Tribune on Wednesday reported the woman is 43 years old and entered Davis’s office after 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.

The woman spoke briefly with staffers before the incident, the newspaper said, before lighting herself on fire and then running out a doorway as aides tried using a fire extinguisher. Davis reportedly was not present for the incident. 

Chicago Police spokeswoman Michelle Tannehill verified the woman’s age for the Tribune but provided no further information.

Tannehill added the woman’s condition is stable after she was admitted to Chicago’s Stroger Hospital with serious burns.

“Oftentimes people sign a register or a book with their name and address, but she never got to that point,” Davis told the Chicago Tribune. “We don’t know her and we don’t know exactly what she may have been coming for. We really don’t know why. We never got to that point.”

Davis said he did not witness the woman’s actions but hopes she makes a quick recovery after the frightening moment.

“We just got a call from the hospital indicating she is stabilized and undergoing treatment, and they say it’s going to take a while,” he said. “A long time perhaps, but hopefully she’s going to be OK.

Davis, who was first elected in 1996, added the incident highlights the shortage of mental health services for area residents.

“This is a big issue for us because we have people like her who don’t necessarily set themselves on fire, but are obviously experiencing mental health challenges. And we get them almost daily.”