Heavy smoke was spotted near the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on Thursday afternoon following an explosion. According to a statement from Beijing police, a 26-year-old man surnamed Jiang had set off a firecracker-like device at around 1 p.m., injuring his arm. Police escorted the man, who comes from Tongliao in Inner Mongolia, to hospital. No others were injured.

The explosion site at the intersection of Tianze Road and Anjialou Road in Chaoyang District is near the east gate of the U.S. Embassy at 55 Anjialou Road. State-owned media outlet Global Times reported that earlier, a witness said a woman was taken away by police at around 11 a.m. after spraying gasoline on herself in what appeared to be a self-immolation attempt.

Geng Shuang, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called the explosion an “isolated security incident” while the U.S. Embassy referred to it as a “bomb.” (Image: Weibo)