Hikers Watch Man Dying in Lilydale Park Self-Immolation

Despite quick thinking by a pair of hikers, a man burned to death in Lilydale Regional Park on Monday night.

According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, two men were near the top of the bluffs when they smelled smoke and "heard a whimper" from the flats below. They peered down on a grisly scene:

The man, about 75 feet below the hikers, appeared to be leaning on one arm, and a 10-foot-long swath of grass and leaves appeared to be burning beside him, where perhaps he had rolled or stumbled. One of the hikers called 911, and a dispatcher told them to meet police and paramedics at the foot of the trail.

By the time emergency crews and the hikers reached the man, he had stopped breathing and was declared dead a short time later.

Evidence left at the scene suggests the man may have set himself on fire, the paper reports.

Read the full story at TwinCities.com