Shoppers and Tesco staff had quite the ordeal over the weekend as a man entered the local supermarket in Rush, Co Dublin and threatened to light himself on fire.

Fire crews, paramedics and the Garda rushed to the scene to try and help the man away from harm.

It was a busy Saturday afternoon when then drama unfolded. One witness told the Irish Independent that the man in his 40s walked up to the deli counter and then poured fuel over his body and on the floor.

"The man was fumbling with the lighter. I think the only reason he couldn't light the fire is because his hands were wet," the witness said.

One of the deli workers then ran to find security, who attempted to reason with the man.

Since the man wouldn't back down, the security guard tackled him and pushed him along to the fire exit.

"We could hear a staff member calling all managers to the deli – then staff were running for fire extinguishers," she said. "Then she was asking customers to evacuate the shop."

"If he had lit himself on fire, the two women working behind the deli would have been trapped in there," the witness added.

The man in question was later taken to Beaumont Hospital where he was examined by a mental health specialist.