Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating after a 48-year-old man reportedly set himself on fire outside an immigration office in London Friday afternoon.

Around 1 p.m., local police officers arrived to the scene of a distress call on 417 Exeter Rd., a building which houses the London district office of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

They began to communicate with the man, who was threatening to harm himself, the Special Investigations Unit said in a news release.

Two officers then fired plastic projectiles at him from an anti-riot weapon after which he set himself ablaze, the SIU said.

Firefighters, who were already there, extinguished the fire and the man was transported to hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

The SIU has now invoked its mandate, adding three investigators and one forensic inspector have been assigned to look into this incident.

They’re urging anyone with information about this incident, especially video evidence, to contact them at 1-800-787-8529.

Temur Durrani is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @temurdur

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