Fire breathing
Encyclopedia
Safety
Performing with fire has many inherent risks. Having an actively spotting trained safety assistant with an appropriate fire blanket and fire extinguisher is an appropriate best practice when fire breathing and is a mandatory clause in most insurance policies for professional fire breathers.Training
The vast majority of professional fire-breathers are apprenticed by a seasoned professional and it is strongly recommended that teaching oneself is avoided due to the extreme risks. Most people who are taught fire breathing and eating skills are seasoned performers in their own right and are taught under the condition that the skills are not passed on until they become a recognized fire performer in their own right. Virtually all recorded incidents of serious injury by fire breathing involve of untrained individuals, often while under the influence of alcohol. Using an incorrect fuel is usually a strong contributing factor.Flash point
To increase safety, fire breathers must avoid highly combustible fuels such as alcoholAlcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, spirit-based fuels, and most petrochemicals, instead using safer combustibles with a higher flash point
Flash point
The flash point of a volatile material is the lowest temperature at which it can vaporize to form an ignitable mixture in air. Measuring a flash point requires an ignition source...
(>50 °C). Due to its relatively safe (~90 °C) flash point, paraffin
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
, or highly purified lamp oil, is the preferred fuel for fire breathing. Although corn starch has been cited as a non-toxic fuel, the hazards of inhalation increase the potential risk of lung infections.
Wind
Determining windWind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
direction is extremely important when fire breathing. To determine the wind direction a fire breather will watch the flame on their torch and only breathe downwind. Breathing fire in high wind, or unpredictable wind, is not recommended. Many professional fire breathers/eaters will only perform indoors (with appropriate insurance and safety checks) as this removes the wind as a factor.
Self-ignition
With fire breathing, the greatest risk of self-ignition (lighting the clothing or costume) comes from using lower flash point fuels (like white gas) on the fire breathing torch. Untreated 100% cotton clothing is adequate for most experienced fire performers. Polyester clothing is not recommended, as it can easily melt, drip and stick to the skin when ignited. Flame-resistant treated cotton (i.e., Westex's INDURA fibre) or synthetic aramid-type fibre (i.e., DuPont's NOMEX fibre) long-sleeve shirts and trousers are recommended for fire performers (in general) who use the more combustible fuels on their torches. Non-flammable materials such as metal and leather are often recommended as costume choices, but as a lot of 'body-burning' techniques require bare skin it is often said that the less clothing worn the better. Many performers perform topless and it is not unknown for performers to perform almost or completely naked, usually female performers. This is usually not meant as an overtly sexual act but rather it increases the amount and variety of different techniques that can be utilised; with no clothing (or body hair) there is a markedly reduced risk of injury, especially to novice performers. Body painting is often used with nude fire performers in lieu of a costume, sometimes to give the impression that the performer is actually wearing a costume.Fire breathers will sometimes carry a cloth to wipe their mouth between fireballs to remove excess fuel from their mouth and neck although this is usually only needed for beginners. Facial hair can be an issue when using certain fuels and long hair should always be tied back. More combustible fuels evaporate at lower temperatures and have a lower flash point. The constant off-gassing of vapours increases the risk of combustion.
Certain beauty products should always be avoided, specifically spray-on deodorant, hairspray, perfume and some make-up sealants due to their flammable nature. This is often overlooked and a frequent mistake made by beginners.
Generally speaking no fire performer should have anything on their person that could easily be lit.
There are currently major calls from within the fire performance industry itself for regulation as a large number of self taught fire performers have appeared on the scene (particularly in the UK) who have insuffucent training and are posing extreme risks. It is rumoured that several top fire performers are forming a safety alliance to combat such practises.
As there is no regulatory body for fire performers different individuals will have different opinions on best practises for techniques, safety and all other aspects of fire manipulation and thus precise information is hard to verify. The only seemingly agreed upon fact is that fire breathing/eating is a skill and not trickery and it is particularly dangerous
Health
When fire breathing with the wrong fuel, or an improper technique is used, fire breathing can increase the risk of:- Death
- Severe burnBurnA burn is an injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation, or friction.Burn may also refer to:*Combustion*Burn , type of watercourses so named in Scotland and north-eastern England...
s - Dental problems
- Fuel poisonPoisonIn the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
ing - Lipid pneumoniaLipid pneumoniaLipid pneumonia or lipoid pneumonia is a specific form of lung inflammation that develops when lipids enter the bronchial tree. The disorder is sometimes called Cholesterol pneumonia in cases where the lipid is a factor.-Causes:...
or acute respiratory distressAcute respiratory distress syndromeAcute respiratory distress syndrome , also known as respiratory distress syndrome or adult respiratory distress syndrome is a serious reaction to various forms of injuries to the lung.... - Dry coughCoughA cough is a sudden and often repetitively occurring reflex which helps to clear the large breathing passages from secretions, irritants, foreign particles and microbes...
- HeadacheHeadacheA headache or cephalalgia is pain anywhere in the region of the head or neck. It can be a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and neck. The brain tissue itself is not sensitive to pain because it lacks pain receptors. Rather, the pain is caused by disturbance of the...
, dizzinessDizzinessDizziness refers to an impairment in spatial perception and stability. The term is somewhat imprecise. It can be used to mean vertigo, presyncope, disequilibrium, or a non-specific feeling such as giddiness or foolishness....
, drunken ill feeling - NauseaNauseaNausea , is a sensation of unease and discomfort in the upper stomach with an involuntary urge to vomit. It often, but not always, precedes vomiting...
, diarrheaDiarrheaDiarrhea , also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having three or more loose or liquid bowel movements per day. It is a common cause of death in developing countries and the second most common cause of infant deaths worldwide. The loss of fluids through diarrhea can cause dehydration and...
, vomitingVomitingVomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose...
, stomach ache - Dry mouth/cotton mouth
- Dry skin and topical heat burns
Inhalation
The inhalation of paraffin in fire breathing can lead to very severe exogenous lipid pneumoniaLipid pneumonia
Lipid pneumonia or lipoid pneumonia is a specific form of lung inflammation that develops when lipids enter the bronchial tree. The disorder is sometimes called Cholesterol pneumonia in cases where the lipid is a factor.-Causes:...
with potentially fatal side effects. This is true even when the atomized (misted) breath is not on fire.
Lamp oil will coat the pulmonary tissues causing severe inflammation, preventing proper oxygen absorption, and carbon dioxide expelling. Improper technique can be fatal.
Fuel risks
A recommended fuel to use for fire breathing is "ultra pure clear unscented lamp oil", also known as liquid paraffin wax or mineral oil, which is difficult to find in most countries around the world. Improper technique using the proper fuel can still risk mist inhalation, which may cause symptoms such as headacheHeadache
A headache or cephalalgia is pain anywhere in the region of the head or neck. It can be a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and neck. The brain tissue itself is not sensitive to pain because it lacks pain receptors. Rather, the pain is caused by disturbance of the...
, sinus infection, and lipid pneumonia
Lipid pneumonia
Lipid pneumonia or lipoid pneumonia is a specific form of lung inflammation that develops when lipids enter the bronchial tree. The disorder is sometimes called Cholesterol pneumonia in cases where the lipid is a factor.-Causes:...
. If swallowed it can trigger peristalsis
Peristalsis
Peristalsis is a radially symmetrical contraction and relaxation of muscles which propagates in a wave down the muscular tube, in an anterograde fashion. In humans, peristalsis is found in the contraction of smooth muscles to propel contents through the digestive tract. Earthworms use a similar...
(diarrhoea).
Corn starch and powdered sugar (50:50) works as well, if one can stand the powder in one's mouth, though it can be inhaled and lead to health problems.
Fuels that are considered especially dangerous include:
- EthanolEthanolEthanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
can be absorbed into the blood stream without drinking. Thus attempting fire breathing with ethanol can cause intoxication. - MethanolMethanolMethanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH . It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol...
(used with many colored flame recipes) has a variety of entry vectors and can cause blindness or neurological disorders. - Very low flash pointFlash pointThe flash point of a volatile material is the lowest temperature at which it can vaporize to form an ignitable mixture in air. Measuring a flash point requires an ignition source...
fuels like naphthaNaphthaNaphtha normally refers to a number of different flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons, i.e., a component of natural gas condensate or a distillation product from petroleum, coal tar or peat boiling in a certain range and containing certain hydrocarbons. It is a broad term covering among the...
, butaneButaneButane is a gas with the formula C4H10 that is an alkane with four carbon atoms. The term may refer to any of two structural isomers, or to a mixture of them: in the IUPAC nomenclature, however, butane refers only to the unbranched n-butane isomer; the other one being called "methylpropane" or...
, and propanePropanePropane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
can create a condensed vapor build-up in the oral cavity leading to internal combustion, damaging the mouth or lungs. Naphtha also is quite carcinogenic, and performance careers built on using it entail a high risk of mouth cancer. - Common fuels like gasolineGasolineGasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
and keroseneKeroseneKerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
often contain carcinogenic additives or refining by-products, such as sulfurated compounds, or benzeneBenzeneBenzene is an organic chemical compound. It is composed of 6 carbon atoms in a ring, with 1 hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom, with the molecular formula C6H6....
s. They also are far easier to ignite and even a seasoned fire breather would be at serious risk of injury using these fuels for breathing
Contemporary fire arts culture and fire breathing
In the early 90's Chris ValagaoChris Valagao
Chris "The Heathen" Valagao is a heavy metal musician of Norwegian and Portuguese descent best known as the front man for Canadian speed/thrash metal band Zimmers Hole.- Nicknames :...
of Zimmers Hole learned to breathe fire from a member of Black Diamond (KISS tribute Band), who had been taught to breathe fire by Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
. In 1995 Chris Valagao taught Napalm Dragon to breathe fire. After teaming up with a group of circus performers, Napalm Dragon incorporated fire breathing with electronic music and urban tribalism, ushering in the contemporary fire arts culture in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Working with various community minded fire performers he collaborated with various groups including The Spiral Tribe in 1996, fostering the fire arts culture and fire dancing culture throughout the BC region. As the Internet gained its ground to communicate over vast distances, the meme of the contemporary urban tribal fire dancing culture spread from its Polynesian, Thai, and Australian influences to the contemporary electronic music scenes of the world. Fire breathing flourished in Canada and North America due to the high quality of fire breathing fuel and ease of access to it.
Black metal
The heavy metalHeavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
subgenre known as black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
has been known to feature fire breathing among its imagery. While heavy metal has a history of including fearsome stunts and sideshow spectacles, the most likely originator of fire breathing in black metal culture was Quorthon
Quorthon
Tomas Forsberg, better known as "Quorthon" , was a multi-instrumentalist and the founder and songwriter of the pioneering Swedish black metal band Bathory. He is also credited with creating the Viking metal genre...
, frontman of the founding Swedish black metal band Bathory
Bathory (band)
Bathory was a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by Quorthon in 1983. They are regarded as pioneers of both black metal and viking metal. Quorthon remained the main songwriter and member of Bathory for more than two decades. Bathory was permanently ended after Quorthon's death in 2004...
. In a number of famous promotional photos, all dating from before 1988, Quorthon is seen spewing plumes of fire. According to bathory.se, the only official Bathory website (link no longer available), Quorthon ceased this spectacle due to overblown media attention to his image rather than music.
As the Scandinavian black metal scene of the 1990s expanded, a number of Norwegian musicians began to produce similar promotional photos of fire breathing, most likely in emulation or tribute to the Bathory photos. An example of this can be seen at www.peterbeste.com featuring Frost of the bands Satyricon
Satyricon (band)
Satyricon is a Norwegian black metal band, and the first one in the genre to join a multi-national record label .-Biography:Satyricon was formed in 1990 by Czral and Wargod. Ulver and Satyr soon joined them...
and 1349
1349 (band)
1349 is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo, Norway, formed in 1997. Their name comes from the year the Black Death reached Norway.- History :1349 formed in 1997 and comprises several former members of the band Alvheim...
performing the stunt in a cave in Nesodden
Nesodden
Nesodden is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Follo. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Nesoddtangen. The parish of Næsodden was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. A number of black metal music videos have featured examples of fire breathing as well, including Immortal's
Immortal (band)
Immortal is a black metal band from Bergen, Norway, founded in 1990 by current frontman/guitarist Abbath Doom Occulta and former guitarist Demonaz Doom Occulta...
"Call of the Wintermoon" and Satyricon's "Mother North".
Simultaneous fire breathing
On 14 March 2007, the Dutch student association T.S.V. D'Artagnan set a new world record for simultaneous fire breathing, the old record dating from 2003 and involving 70 people from the U.K; a total of 115 people breathed fire together. On 15 October 2008, another Dutch student association, s.v. Intermate at the Eindhoven University of TechnologyEindhoven University of Technology
The ' is a university of technology located in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The motto of the university is: Mens agitat molem . The university was the second of its kind in the Netherlands, only Delft University of Technology existed previously. Until mid-1980 it was known as the...
, increased the world record for simultaneous fire breathing to 267 people. On 23 April 2009, this record was succeeded by 293 students in the Dutch city of Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
as part of the Ragweek charity event.
Fire breathing pass
In August 2007 the record for the biggest fire breathing pass was set at the Burning ManBurning Man
Burning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event starts on the Monday before the American Labor Day holiday, and ends on the holiday itself. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
festival in the Black Rock Desert
Black Rock Desert
The Black Rock Desert is an arid region in the northern Nevada section of the Great Basin with a lakebed that is a dry remnant of Pleistocene Lake Lahontan...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
; a single breath was passed to 21 people before the flame went out.
Highest flame
Between 2005 and 2007, the world record belonged to Tim Black of Androgen Fire Art. In 2005, he blew a flame to a height of 5.4 meters (17 ft 8.5 in) on the set of Guinness World Records at Seven Network Studios, Sydney, Australia, a feat which he later equaled on the set of CCTV in Beijing, China in 2006. In August, 2007, Tim Black returned to the set of CCTV in Beijing, China, and broke his existing record by blowing a flame to a height of 7.2 meters (23.62 feet). Since then, his record has been surpassed by Antonio Restivo, an American; the record now stands at 8.05 m (26 ft 5 in) and was achieved at a warehouse in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, on 11 January 2011.Most flames
Preacher Muad'dib, a world record holding fire artist, set the Guinness World Record for the most flames blown in one minute (69), as well as the record for the most flames blown with one mouthful of fuel (16) and the most torches eaten in one minute using just two torches (83). All records were set at Potters Field, London, UK, on November 18, 2010, for Guinness World Records day.most flames blown with single mouth filled with fuel is 76,by an INDIAN jitender singh jassy,it was achieved in march 2011. On April 27th 2011 Preacher broke his record for most flames blown in one minute for the Italian version of the TV program "Guinness world records smashed". The record now stands at 85He is currently recognised as the top fire breather/eater in the world today, possessing more world records than any other fire performer (5 related to fire), and is understood to have mastered every fire eating and breathing skill known as well as being credited for inventing several techniques.
Books
- David AlmondDavid AlmondDavid Almond is a British children's writer who has written several novels, each one to critical acclaim.-Early life:Almond was born and raised in Felling and Newcastle in post-industrial North East England and educated at the University of East Anglia, he was born in 1951...
's book The Fire-EatersThe Fire-EatersThe Fire-Eaters is a children's novel by David Almond, published in 2003. It won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize Gold Award and the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year Award, as well as being shortlisted for both the Guardian Award and the Carnegie Medal....
is the story of a young boy living in NorthumberlandNorthumberlandNorthumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
who gets to know a local performing fire eater.
- In Cornelia FunkeCornelia FunkeCornelia Funke is a multiple award-winning German author of children's fiction. She was born on 10 December 1958, in Dorsten, North Rhine-Westphalia. Funke is best known for her Inkworld trilogy, with the English translation of the third book, Inkdeath, released on 6 October 2008. Many of her...
's novel InkheartInkheartInkheart is a young adult-child fantasy novel by Cornelia Funke, and the first book of the Inkworld trilogy....
, the character Dustfinger is a talented fire-eater and fire-breather. According to Resa everyone in his world knew his name; he is alternatively called the fire-dancer, because of his unparalleled talent.
Comics, anime, and manga
- In the animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and mangaMangaManga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
InuyashaInuYasha, also known as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It premiered in Weekly Shōnen Sunday on November 13, 1996 and concluded on June 18, 2008...
, Renkotsu of The Band of Seven uses oil to breathe fire.
Films
- In the sci-fi horror film Pitch BlackPitch BlackPitch Black is a 2000 science fiction thriller film directed by David Twohy and starring Vin Diesel. The film costars Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser and Keith David....
, the character Paris breathes fire using his flask and lighter as a last stand against the monsters before succumbing to his injuries.
Television
- In the Disney XDDisney XDDisney XD is a brand of children's TV channels worldwide targeting young males, owned by The Walt Disney Company. The channel was formerly known as Toon Disney and/or Jetix in most areas. According to Gary Marsh, President of Entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide, "XD" does not "stand for...
show Iron Weasel, Burger (one of the band members) comes up with a new song, and at the end he drinks something (probably some sort of acidAcidAn acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...
safe for humans to drink) and breathes fire. - In SkinsSkins (TV series)Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
series 3, episode 5, JJ swallowed a spliff, feigned choking, took a swig from the bottle of supposed urine and blew a fireball with a lighter. The urine was, in fact, paraffin JJ had planted eight months previously in preparation of the illusion. - The title character of Xena: Warrior PrincessXena: Warrior PrincessXena: Warrior Princess is an American–New Zealand supernatural fantasy adventure series that aired in syndication from September 4, 1995 until June 18, 2001....
is capable of breathing flame at her opponents using a mouthful of alcohol and a nearby source of fire.
External links
- Fire Breathing Basics by Pele c/o Home of Poi, 1996, retrieved July 22, 2010
- Androgen Fire Art World Record Fire Performance Group
- North American Fire Arts Association
- Fire Breathing Arts Worldwide resources for fire breathing trainers & performers
- Fire breathing video Amateurs breathing fire
- Fire Breathing Safety Advices by Oddballs.co.uk
- Lamplight Farms Ultra-Pure Lamp Oil? by Lamplight Farms, January 10, 2002, retrieved September 25, 2006
- Fire Breathing and Fire Eating FAQ by Juggling Information Service, 1996, retrieved September 25, 2006
- Tedward Tedward, part of Red Swan Entertainment