There have been scenes of chaos at Rome's international airport after a man doused himself in petrol and set himself on fire in the main terminal.

Reuters says the man, from Ivory Coast, had shown officials a deportation order before setting himself alight.

Those in the terminal heard sudden screaming and then saw acrid smoke.

The man was taken to hospital in serious condition while a policeman who put out the flames sustained a burn to his arm.

It took several minutes for authorities to clear the airport and passengers waiting for flights had to briefly wait outside the terminal.

Dozens of people had to be evacuated.

The incident occurred in a customs police office in Terminal 3 of the airport, which is Italy's largest.

ABC/Reuters