A man has allegedly set himself on fire close to the US Capitol in Washington DC. According to witnesses, the man dumped a container of gasoline over his head and then set himself on fire. According to officials, the man was life lighted to the hospital and treated for severe burns. It is yet to be determined if this is a reaction to the government shutdown or just a sad accident. Details are still emerging.

Did a single positive thing happen in DC this week? Shutdown, car chase/shooting, man on fire, that one guy didn't even get health insurance

— Sam Baker (@sam_baker) October 4, 2013

Just yesterday a woman was shot while trying to drive her vehicle to the White House and US Capitol. The woman was later identified as 34 year old Miriam Carey, a dental hygienist from Stamford, Connecticut. Carey had tried to break through a barrier to the White House and later tried to do the same thing at the US Capitol. Family members said that the woman was suffering from post partum depression. Carey’s one year old child was in the car at the time of the incident but was luckily not injured.

These events follow another tragedy that took place a few weeks ago at a nearby Navy yard where a 34-year-old military contractor from Texas shot and killed 12 people and injured 14 others.

Tensions are running high in Washington as the government shutdown is still in effect. Loans, disability applications have been delayed, national parks and memorials have closed and many people are finding themselves without a job. Congress has yet to agree on the spending bill and most people have negative feelings about the shutdown and the government in general at this point.

As the government shutdown continues, Americans are angrier with how things are going than they have been in years. http://t.co/ryH7mlOmWF

— POLITICO (@politico) October 4, 2013

Desperate times call for desperate majors. Are these tragedies sad and extreme reactions to the shutdown or is it just a coincidence that they have happened near the capitol?

Image from Wikimedia Commons.