Theodore Gray: In Which I Set Myself On Fire

In the movies, people on fire stumble out of burning buildings all the time. If you look closely, however, you'll notice that they are almost always fully dressed, and that they tend to keep moving. These are two important factors that make the stunt much easier.

To function and avoid injury while on fire, you need to put something between yourself and the flames. So stuntpeople use clothes containing super-absorbent polymer fibers, which keeps the water in place. A layer of clothes treated this way will keep them cool for quite a while, but they have to continue to move forward so the breeze keeps the flames out of their uncovered face.

Any scientist can tell you how people catch fire in the movies. But Theodore Gray, a columnist for Popular Science, sets himself ablaze.