A firebreather suffered severe facial burns after a stunt went disastrously wrong during a barbecue in Somerset, leaving him with what he described as life-changing injuries.
Joe Johnstone, 31, was performing a fire-breathing routine at a gathering on April 7 when a sudden gust of wind reportedly blew flames back into his face.
Shocking footage shows him spinning a fire staff and exhaling fuel onto the flames before the fire unexpectedly rebounds, igniting his beard and engulfing his face.
Moments later, Johnstone collapses to the ground in visible agony as friends rush in to extinguish the fire and assist him.
He said he was immediately placed under a cold shower for around 30 minutes before emergency services arrived and took him to Southmead Hospital in Bristol.
Doctors reportedly had to remove damaged skin from his face, a process he described as extremely painful. He was discharged from hospital a week later.
Johnstone said the incident occurred while he was performing for his children, who had encouraged him to demonstrate the stunt despite not having attempted it for several years.
“I’ve done it many times before, but I was a bit rusty,” he said, adding that the unexpected wind gust caused the fire to blow back towards him.
He described the moment as overwhelming, saying his main focus was trying to extinguish the flames as quickly as possible.
Despite the severity of his injuries, Johnstone said he remains grateful to have survived and still has basic functions such as sight and speech.
He also revealed he plans to continue firebreathing in the future, saying he remains passionate about the extreme performance art he began learning eight years ago.
