Fire-Breather's Face 'Melts' Off in BBQ Blaze Gone Wrong

Joe Johnstone, the self-proclaimed "fire warrior," found himself in a nightmare scenario when flames engulfed his head during a backyard BBQ stunt gone horribly wrong.

On April 7 in Bridgwater, Somerset, the 31-year-old took to the flames after a two-year hiatus, prompted by eager kids at the gathering. But a sudden gust of wind turned his fiery performance into a terrifying inferno.

Video footage captures the moment Joe twirls a lit fire staff, igniting a stream of liquid fuel that backfires into his face, igniting his beard. Seconds later, his entire head is ablaze, and he collapses, desperately clutching his face as friends rush to extinguish the flames.

“I’ve done it a million times,” Joe recalls, “but that gust of wind just came out of nowhere. I was in survival mode, trying to save my face.”

His friends quickly patted out the flames before dragging him under a cold shower, where he remained until paramedics arrived. Rushed to Southmead Hospital in Bristol, doctors had to peel off the melted skin from his face—a gruesome process he described as the “worst pain” he’d ever felt.

“It didn’t look like me anymore,” Joe said, reflecting on the aftermath of his fiery mishap. “I was in the hospital for seven days, and they had to scrub my face every four hours.”

Despite the horrific experience, Joe is eager to return to fire-breathing. “I can taste, smell, talk, see—surviving this is a miracle,” he stated with a mix of disbelief and gratitude.

Joe’s journey into fire-breathing began eight years ago after witnessing performers at underground raves. “I just picked it up and started doing it myself,” he explained. “I love pushing myself and staring death in the face.”

To raise awareness about the dangers of fire-breathing, Joe shared a brief video of his accident on social media. “I couldn’t believe how big the flames were on my face,” he said. “It was intense watching it.”

Now, with lessons learned and a renewed sense of caution—“I’ll make sure there’s a bucket next to me next time”—Joe is ready to embrace the flames once more. “Nothing is going to scare me. I’m a fire warrior.”