Motivational speaker Tony Robbins asked his followers to symbolically overcome their fears by walking through coal and it left some of them feeling burnt—literally.
During his "Unleash the Power Within" event in Dallas, Tex. on Thursday, five people were sent to the hospital and another 30 were treated on site after the big walk, the Guardianreported. Paul Gold, who received second-degree burns on his feet, told the Associated Press he believed the injuries were caused by the staff not waiting long enough to add more coals.
The stunt has been a part of Robbins’ events for years and Ron King, the director of the convention center, told the Dallas Morning News that he wasn’t aware of any injurious from previous events held at the same center. However, almost two dozen were burned in 2012 after a similar walk in San Jose, Calif.
Robbins’ reps insist this was blown out of proportion, pointing out that 7,000 people walked across the coals that night. Among the injured, five "requested any examination beyond what was readily available on site," they said in a statement. "Someone not familiar with the fire walk observed the event and called 911 erroneously reporting hundreds of people requiring medical attention for severe burns."
