21 suffer burns at US motivational event

mike65 · 21-07-2012 4:14pm #1

21 suffer burns at US motivational speaker Tony Robbins 'firewalk' event

At least 21 people have been treated for burns after attendees of an event in California for US motivational speaker Tony Robbins tried to walk on hot coals, fire officials said.

The San Jose Mercury News reported that at least three people were taken to hospital, with most suffering second- or third-degree burns.

Robbins was hosting a four-day gathering called "Unleash the Power Within" at the San Jose Convention Centre. Witnesses said that a crowd went to a park where 12 lanes of hot coals were set up on the grass.

Robbins' website promotes "The Firewalk Experience" in which people walk on super-heated coals.

Witness Jonathan Correll said he heard "screams of agony".

Fire captain Reggie Williams said organisers had an open fire permit and emergency personnel were on standby.

Paying someone to be told they can walk across hot coals and actually believing it. You gotta love 'em

Pushtrak · 21-07-2012 4:15pm

OP, there's no need to be so inflammatory.

AnonoBoy · 21-07-2012 4:16pm

Reality wins again!

crazy cabbage · 21-07-2012 4:18pm

Stupid Americans part 23759

What power is number to?

:pac:

Chuck Stone · 21-07-2012 4:20pm

He's not the Messiah - he's a very naughty boy.

juan.kerr · 21-07-2012 4:21pm

And we're so smart. Stupid thread.

NegativeCreep · 21-07-2012 4:21pm

Do people not walk across hot coals all the time? I thought this was a common thing. I might be stupid though :L

Hande hoche! · 21-07-2012 4:21pm

Thread will not end well.

Nodin · 21-07-2012 4:23pm

NegativeCreep wrote: »

Do people not walk across hot coals all the time? I thought this was a common thing. I might be stupid though :L

It is. Evidently they didn't set everything up correctly.

21-07-2012 4:25pm

That's a coaly terror.

Madam_X · 21-07-2012 4:27pm

juan.kerr wrote: »

And we're so smart. Stupid thread.

I think most of us are smart enough not to believe we can walk barefoot on red-hot coals, but yes, the "stupid Americans" stuff is needless.

MarkHitide · 21-07-2012 4:30pm

Hande hoche! wrote: »

Thread will not end well.

Will not Tread well.end.

Duggy747 · 21-07-2012 4:31pm

I frequently train for such events by pretending the carpet in my house is made of lava so I have to jump from seat to seat.

Visitors don't seem to take too kindly to it, especially when I'm trying to bring them in a cup of tea.

Cuddlesworth · 21-07-2012 4:31pm

Somebody screwed up the fire lanes, I don't see why the people that walked them are to blame.

I'd say they used coal instead of wood, or it was freshly lit.

MarkHitide · 21-07-2012 4:35pm

The key to the mystery of "walking on burning coals" is that no-one actually "walks" on them,; they skedaddle across them-

MarkHitide · 21-07-2012 4:39pm

Onixx wrote: »

I think most of us are smart enough not to believe we can walk barefoot on red-hot coals, but yes, the "stupid Americans" stuff is needless.

I agree. You don't have to be American to be stupid. But they do seem to try harder.

ejmaztec · 21-07-2012 4:46pm

mike65 wrote: »

Paying someone to be told they can walk across hot coals and actually believing it. You gotta love 'em

The problem was that they didn't believe it enough.:(

mike65 · 21-07-2012 4:49pm

Who inserted the very boring new thread title?

AnonoBoy · 21-07-2012 4:50pm

mike65 wrote: »

Who inserted the very boring new thread title?

Some American no doubt. :pac:

Shryke · 21-07-2012 4:54pm

These things go on everywhere. I saw one in Galway for charity. The set up was poor or something went wrong, there's no need for nation bashing.
I loled at the "screams of agony" bit though. I'm a bad man.