Apparently some of the shouts of victory at a firewalking event in San Jose were actually screams of pain when some Tony Robbins followers suffered second and third degree burns when they walked over burning coals. At least 21 people were treated for burn injuries.
After an event at the San Jose Convention Center called “Unleash the Power Within” which was attended by 6,000, many from the audience walked across the street to a park where 12 lanes of hot coals measuring 10 feet long and 2½-feet wide were placed in the park.
A man tried to videotape the event, but an event staffer told the man to put his video camera away.
People who have done the event ‘successfully’ say the keys to getting across without getting burned are ‘faith’ and ‘concentration’ to get in a peak state. Physicists say success has more to do with minimal contact of feet with the coals, that is minimal time for heat transfer from coals to soles.
San Jose Fire Department Capt. Reggie Williams said event organizers had firefighter/paramedics on standby, and that the event organizers had obtained an open fire permit from the San Jose Fire Department. A fire inspector from the department was also at the event to make sure there was no accidental fire. Williams added, “We discourage people from walking over hot coals.”
A statement released Friday from Robbins Research International, said, “We have been safely providing this experience for more than three decades, and always under the supervision of medical personnel … We continue to work with local fire and emergency personnel to ensure this event is always done in the safest way possible.”
Tony Robbins firewalking experience, according to ‘realestaterockstar’ on YouTube.
The Tony Robbins event occurred about one year and one month after James Arthur Ray was found guilty of negligent homicide in the deaths of three people at an Arizona sweat lodge in October 2009. The three victims were among 56 total participants that were charged $9,695 each to participate in Ray’s “Spiritual Warrior” retreat. Another 18 people were hospitalized for heat-related illness, includiung burns, respiratory arrest, kidney failure, loss of consciousness and dehydration. Ray did not restrain or physically force people to remain in the tent, but he urged participants to stay inside heated environments and encouraged them to overcome their weakness.
Get updates from The Cardinal CRIME BLOG ‘Plus’ on Facebook. Just ‘LIKE’ the ‘Arlington Cardinal Crime & Forensics’ Page (become a fan of our page). The updates cover all posts in the 24/7 Crime Alerts! and sub-categories. See all of The Cardinal Facebook fan pages at Arlingtoncardinal.com/about/facebook …