World Records: Fire I

The earliest use of fire by humans has been traced back for about 1.5 million years to locations about East Africa. Over time, many events and achievements centered on fire have taken place , from fire walking to the most people burned at the stake. In this article, you will learn some of the interesting records associated with fire.

Farthest Distance Walking Fire

On November 9, 2007, Trever McGhee from Canada, set the record for the farthest distance for firewalking by traveling 597 feet over embers with temperatures in excess of 1,215.80 degrees F at Symons Vallery Rodeo Grounds in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Longest Full Body Burn without Oxygen

Stuntman Ted A Batchelor of the United States has been at the center of a handful of records concerning the element of fire. While on the set of “Lo Show dei Record” in Rome, Italy, Batchelor set the record for a full-body burn without oxygen non February 25, 2010. His body stayed on fire for 2 minutes and 57 seconds. Batchelor also led a group of 17 people on September 19, 2009 to set the record for the largest simultaneous body burn. In South Russell, Ohio, members of his team and the “Ohio Burns Unit” set themselves on fire for 43 seconds.

Longest Motorcycle Ride Through a Tunnel of Fire

Whether it’s a ring of fire or tunnel, the element has played an important role in the action and appeal of stuntmen who enjoy putting on a show. However, the man to achieve the longest ride on motorcycle through a tunnel set afire was Clint Ewing of the United States when he rode through a tunnel measuring 200 feet long on January 27, 2008.

Longest-Burning Fire

When you think of fires burning outside, it’s often a forest fire that captures the attention of the public. However, the longest-burning fire does not belong to one of these kinds of environmental disasters. It’s actually a burning coal seam found beneath Mount Wingen in New South Wales, Australia. It is believed that this fire started about 5,000 years ago when lightning struck the coal seam at the point where it met with the surface of the Earth. The fire is still currently burning about 100 feet under the ground and has slowly eaten away at the seam.

Most People Burned at the Stake

The Salem Witch Trials that took place in the United States has nothing on the persecution of witches that took place in Germany. The worst recorded burning of so-called witches at the stake is said to have taken place in Germany during the 16th and 17th centuries. At Quedlinburg (near Leipzig), 133 witches were burned in one day in 1589. Other towns, such as Wurzburg and Bamberg, recorded at least 1,500 witches being burned at the stake in less than a decade during the middle of the 17th century.

Source: Guinness World Records 2011