Woman’s hair set on fire while riding on Muni bus in SF

A man set a woman’s hair on fire on a MUNI bus Monday night in San Francisco. A man set a woman’s hair on fire on a MUNI bus Monday night in San Francisco. Photo: Sean Culligan, The Chronicle Photo: Sean Culligan, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 28 Caption Close Woman’s hair set on fire while riding on Muni bus in SF 1 / 28 Back to Gallery

A woman’s week got off to a rough start on a Monday night Muni bus ride in San Francisco when a man seated behind her lit her hair on fire, police said.

The 50-year-old woman was riding the 9-San Bruno bus with a friend around 8 p.m. when she was targeted by a stranger seated behind her, said Officer Giselle Talkoff, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco Police Department.

As the bus neared the intersection of Eighth and Market streets, the 37-year-old suspect pulled out a cigarette lighter and set the woman’s hair on fire, Talkoff said.

The victim’s friend quickly extinguished the fire using her hands and the man was taken into custody on the bus, Talkoff said.

The victim did not require medical treatment, but the suspect, whose name was not immediately released, was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation, Talkoff said.

Filipa A. Ioannou is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: fioannou@sfchronicle.com Twitte: @obioannoukenobi