CHICAGO — A woman is in critical condition after she was set on fire while riding a train in Chicago on Monday, authorities said.

The 26-year-old woman, who was not identified publicly by police, was riding a Blue Line train at 9:25 p.m. CT at the Clark/Lake subway station in the city’s Loop district. That is when she got into an argument with a man believed to be about 45 years old, police said.

Police said the fight escalated, and the man poured liquid on the woman and set her on fire. Sources told WBBM that the liquid was gasoline.

The woman ran off the train and collapsed on the platform, police said. She was taken by the Chicago Fire Department to an area hospital with “severe burns about the body.” She was listed in critical condition and was treated for third-degree burns.

“She was running off the train towards the middle of it, completely engulfed in fire,” witness Christopher Flores told WBBM.

“She had severe burns all over her upper torso and half of her scalp was burnt off,” another witness, Michael Thomas told the Chicago Sun-Times. “She was lucid and conscious and talking. I believe I overheard something along the lines of, ‘I can’t believe I’m on fire.’”

Police said that a person of interest was taken into custody. The person’s identity has not been revealed publicly by police, and no charges have been filed. An arson investigation is ongoing.

In a written statement, the Chicago Transit Authority said it is coordinating an investigation.

“The CTA has been working closely with the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and the Public Transportation Unit detectives embedded at the Strategic Decision Support Center (SDSC) dedicated to CTA, to support their investigation and ensure the offender is quickly apprehended,” the CTA said.

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