21 people don fire-safety suits, set themselves on fire for charity

CLEVELAND, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Twenty-one people in Ohio were set on fire for 32 seconds to set a Guinness World Record and raise money for charity, organizers said.

Stuntman Ted Batchelor coordinated the event in Chagrin Falls and provided fire-retardant suits for the participants, The Plain Dealer reported.

The participants donned the suits and a group of volunteers poured lighter fluid over the 21 people before using three-foot torches to set them on fire.

After 32 seconds, volunteers used fire extinguisher foam to put out the flames.

Many of the participants said they never felt anything, while others said they began to feel warm.

More than 1,500 people attended the event, which was a promotion by the Cleveland business Hotcards, that raised money for the Cleveland Foodbank and Brick by Brick, a non-profit that helps impoverished people in South Africa.

Cleveland emergency authorities stood by throughout the event, the Dealer said.