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Why did it have to come to this?

Father Sets Himself Alight After Son's Iraq Death

A distraught father set himself alight moments after he learned that his first-born son had been killed in combat in Iraq, police have said.

Three Marine officers arrived at the Florida home of Carlos Arredondo, 44, yesterday to break the news that his son, Private First Class Alexander Arredondo, 20, was dead.

Within seconds, Mr. Arredondo walked outside, smashed the windows of the Marines' van, doused it with petrol and climbed inside clutching a propane tank from the garage, a police spokesman said. He set the van ablaze, while still inside.

The three officers dragged him from the van and extinguished the flames on the man. He was taken to hospital in a serious condition.

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