Witnesses have told how police and Secret Service officers rushed to stop a man who apparently tried to set fire to himself outside the White House.

A succession of reporters, whose job is normally to cover Donald Trump and his administration, tweeted images of police or secret service pushing somebody to the ground.

The person was later seen being carried away from the presidential residence on Pennsylvania Avenue, where Mr Trump was inside.

"Someone apparently set himself on fire in front of the White House just now. I was coming out of the West Wing, and the Secret Service isn’t letting anyone out onto Pennsylvania Ave," tweeted Nicholas Kristof ​of the New York Times.

Jeremy Diamond of CNN wrote: “Secret service spokeswoman tells me a man set his jacket on fire in front of the White House. He is being treated for injuries. No threat to the president”

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The Secret Service said on Twitter it was “responding to a police/medical incident on Pennsylvania Ave, along the White House north fence line”.

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It added: “UPDATE: Pennsylvania Ave. is closed to pedestrian traffic, 17th street between H and G is closed to vehicular traffic.

The Washington Post said that Doug Buchanan, a spokesman for the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services, said emergency teams responded after a man riding a scooter apparently set his jacket on fire.

He said the fire was extinguished by the time firefighters arrived at the scene.