Tamil Nadu schoolboy dies while trying to practice fire-breathing trick

The boy tried to master the technique at home but accidentally set himself afire and died on way to hospital.

A 15-year-old schoolboy’s attempts to learn fire-breathing at his house in Tamil Nadu’s Kanchipuram turned fatal on Friday as he accidentally set himself afire. Though he was rushed to a nearby hospital, he succumbed to his burns on the way.

A circus artiste performs the fire-breathing act.(HT File Photo/Representative image)

According to police, the deceased was a class 10 student in Urappakkam in Kanchipuram district.

“As the boy had the attitude of being very adventurous, he wanted to learn fire-breathing. Since it was the Muharram holiday in his school, he attempted to learn the trick on his own, without any supervision, on the terrace of his house. When he tried to spit the fuel on the fire stick, some fuel fell on other parts of his body, caught fire and it spread across his body,” T Saravanan, inspector, Guduvancherry police station, told HT.

“On hearing his screams, his father rushed to the terrace and found his son on fire. Even as his father and neighbours tried to put off the fire, the boy received grievous burn injuries,” he said, adding though the boy’s parents and neighbours rushed him to a nearby hospital, he died on the way.

Following the incident, the police have warned about the hazards of the fire-breathing trick and urged youngsters not to attempt this stunt.