Pre-match poi dancer left burned

An Auckland fire poi dancer suffered burns to 30 per cent of his body after his Lions pre-match performance in Hamilton went wrong.

Pete McGregor, of PME Entertainment Agents, said the man panicked after one or both of the grass straps around his ankles caught fire. The man ran off and then fell before his manager was able to smother him with a fire blanket.

McGregor said the man was employed by Fire It Up and the act was part of a Samoan performance during the pre-match entertainment behind the Wel Networks Stand on Tuesday night.

Almost 30,000 people watched the Lions beat the Chiefs 34-6.

A St John spokesman confirmed a man was taken to Waikato Hospital in a serious condition. A Waikato District Health Board spokesman confirmed the man, 30, was yesterday in a stable condition.

McGregor said the performer, Fiso, was being supported in hospital by his wife and manager.

“The biggest concern for us whether the guy is okay . . . we hope that it all turns out okay. Apparently he’s comfortable and in good spirits.”

McGregor said Fire It Up director Sopi Jensen had notified WorkSafe of the incident.

“Fire It Up has been in operation since 2011 and its director, Mr Jensen, has been performing these types of performances for 30 years without any previous accidents of this nature,” McGregor said.

On its website, Jensen describes the act as a “fire knife”, a traditional Samoan cultural implement composed of a machete wrapped in towels on both ends which are then set alight.