Poured over with gasoline

Because of demolition notice: man set himself on fire

Terrible scenes unfolded on Thursday afternoon in Krummnußbaum in the district of Melk in Lower Austria. A man (56) poured petrol over himself and then set himself alight. 

According to neighbors, the background to this act of madness was a long-standing dispute with the municipality. A long time ago, the council had sent him a demolition notice for illegal buildings on his property on the main road. However, the 56-year-old is said to have ignored it until now. Workers therefore arrived on Thursday to implement it.

"It all happened very quickly"
However, the man refused to accept this. He also came to his property to protest against it. "Suddenly he disappeared for a moment. Then he poured petrol on himself in the garden and set himself alight. It all happened very quickly," said a shocked resident. Police officers present immediately extinguished the man on fire. Nevertheless, he is likely to have suffered life-threatening injuries. He was flown to hospital by emergency helicopter.

If you or someone close to you are in an exceptional psychological situation or are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please contact the telephone helpline on 142. You can find other crisis telephones and emergency numbers HERE.