Fire-eater bursts into flames at high school pep rally

I don't pretend to know how fire-eating works, but I have a good sense of when it hasn't gone as planned. If the fire-eater catches fire, for instance, that probably isn't part of the show.

Which is exactly what 2,000 kids at a high school pep rally in Florida realized when, lo and behold, a 53-year-old "professional" fire-eater burst into flames before them. In the alarm and confusion that followed—documented by one of the smartphone-equipped millennials in the scrum—the performer set the floor of the gym on fire as well.

The fire-eater, Ricky Charles—stage name "Inferno"—suffered serious injuries but is reportedly in good condition. Meanwhile, 20 others were treated for injuries, with eight hospitalized.

Man, how is spring break gonna live up to that?

H/T KTLA | Photo via Jon Connell/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)