Workers at the downtown Des Moines' Central Library witnessed a horrific scene Tuesday.
A 36-year-old man entered an atrium of the branch at 1:59 p.m. Tuesday, poured a flammable liquid on himself and set himself on fire.
One day later, Susan Woody, Des Moines Public Library director, said employees were beginning to cope with what they saw. About 20 employees were working on the floor at the time. Four library employees and a security guard witnessed the event and helped put the fire out. The others evacuated library patrons.
"I will never unsee what I saw," she said. "There were people in tears in my office; it was that disturbing."
Events like this are traumatic for everyone involved, including witnesses, police and other first responders, Parizek said Wednesday. The police department makes a variety of counseling resources available to its employees to help them cope with traumatic events they witness on the job, Parizek said.