Surveillance camera footage released by Australian police shows an arsonist setting himself on fire after pouring petrol on a barber shop he had broken into.

The footage, taken just before midnight on July 6, shows two people on bicycles pulling up outside the Gold Blade hair salon in Gungahlin, Canberra.

One of the men uses a hammer to break the glass entrance door so that their accomplice, armed with a red canister, can get into the store.

The perpetrator pours accelerant over the shop and sets it on fire using a lighter. The shop burns down completely – the arsonist is set on fire and has to flee.

The video footage shows the man jumping through the shattered front door onto the sidewalk and rolling over several times to try to put out the flames. When he succeeds, the two flee, leaving the store burning behind.

Police had difficulty identifying the two people, who were wearing motorcycle helmets to protect their faces.

The local police are asking for help in finding the perpetrators and are urging anyone with information about the incident to come forward.

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