The Taoyuan Department of Cultural Affairs today expressed concern after a fire dancer slipped while igniting flames and caught on fire at a festival.
The fire dancer, performing with the Coming True Fire Group, could be seen on videos posted to social media running off stage with her lower body, skirt and shoes on fire, before dropping to the ground to extinguish the flames.
Event organizers should better evaluate performance safety and ensure there are adequate emergency response measures in place, the department said.
Photo courtesy of Baoliao Commune on Facebook
The Taoyuan Faith Life Festival — Spring Parade of the Gods was held at Daxi Guangze Temple and the Bade Arts and Culture Plaza in Taoyuan’s Bade District (八德) on Saturday.
The event was organized by the Taoyuan Guangze Cultural Arts Promotion and Exchange Association, featuring street parades, Children’s Day activities and performances.
The accident was recorded by festival attendees and uploaded to social media.
Democratic Progressive Party Taoyuan City Councilor Huang Chiung-hui (黃瓊慧) also posted screenshots of the video to Facebook.
She questioned whether the event had adequate fire-extinguishing equipment and urged the city government to investigate.
Coming True Fire Group also made a post on Facebook to explain the incident to the public.
Rain that day affected performance conditions and made the ground slippery, it said.
After the incident, the dancer followed the appropriate training procedures to quickly exit the stage and undergo treatment to cool herself down, it said.
She was subsequently evaluated by emergency room doctors, although she did not require hospitalization and her condition remains stable, it added.
The troupe said it would strengthen weather and venue assessments in the future to prevent similar incidents from occurring.
The Taoyuan Fire Department said it did not receive any emergency reports.
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