Human Torch

One cold night at the end of my freshman year at BYU, my friends and I decided to go up into Provo Canyon for a torch juggling show. I grabbed my torches, gasoline, and a bucket for water.

Upon arriving there was snow on the ground and everyone was anxious for the show. My friend and I lit up our torches and began to juggle. After a few minutes of juggling the flame typically dies down so you blow out the rest of the flame and refuel the torch.

You would think that after 19 years of blowing out birthday candles I would have been able to blow out a simple torch. Unfortunately the flame didn't go out all the way, and blindly I continued the process of refueling the torch. Dipping a lit torch into a bucket of gasoline is a lot like the aftereffect of two Sumo wrestlers slamming into each other - both explode outwards.

Needless to say, I was an instant human torch. Now, have you ever been on fire before?
It's an interesting sensation.

Everything goes slow motion, and everyone is screaming and you have no idea why. You look around and everything is on fire, and all you can think about is "boy it's hot." All of the stop-drop-roll training that you learn in Elementary school isn't applicable because you can't believe that you're actually on fire.

Luckily one of my friends there was crazier than I was, and he ran and tackled me into the snow. We rolled for about ten feet until I was extinguished. Then after about a minute of just lying on the ground trying to figure out what had happened, one of my other friends comes running over with a bucket of water and throws it on us. Completely unnecessary, and I guess no one taught him what water does to a gas fire. So I was burned, wet, and now without any body hair.

I ended up being ok, and smelt like burnt hair for the next few days. Since my legs were hairless, a few of my friends shaved their legs in honor.

I guess the best part about this story was its infamy. The story spread across the BYU campus, and even this past year (3 years later) I had someone tell me about the guy who caught himself on fire in the canyon while trying to torch juggle. I just smiled and nodded my head, my friend completely oblivious that they were talking to the legend.

Actual picture from the night: