Motivational speakers have been known to make people do very outrageous things, but getting people to walk on hot coals seem to take the cake.
Attendees of the "Unleash the Power Within" event, held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas, reported burns to their feet and legs after the speaker, Tony Robbins encouraged them to walk on coals to break through limits of life.
"A lot of the attendees were asked to walk across hot coals, and as a result, a lot of the people sustained burn injuries," said a fire service official Evans.
Of the 30 to 40 people injured, five were treated at the Parkland Hospital burn unit, Evans said. The others were treated and released at the scene. It was unclear how many participated in the coal walk.
The three-day seminar is intended to help people "break through any limit" and improve their quality of life, according a description posted on Robbins' website.
Representatives for Robbins, who is a popular motivational speaker, personal finance adviser and bestselling author, were not immediately available for comment.
