Is it possible to do an Indoor Firewalk?

As you can imagine, organising an indoor Firewalk is not an everyday occurrence. An indoor Firewalk requires much more planning and preparation but it is very possible.   Most often, indoor Firewalks are organised as part of a TV show or to run an event inside a shopping centre or conference hall.  As always, our main priority is safety, both to human life and also the physical property.

Before you start to imagine a big fire in the middle of a shopping centre. With flames licking the roof and smoke filling the shops ruining their stock, let me explain a little more of what it entails.

Building the Fire

Firstly, we do not build the fire indoor. The fire will always be outside and away from the building. Quite often, the burning of the wood will be in the delivery yard with no public access. Space is often restricted so the wood will be burnt in steel drums

Setting up the indoor Firewalk

The area inside the building where we will be Firewalking will be cordoned off to ensure no members of the public are put at risk.  We then ensure we protect the surface that we are to walk on.  This may start with laying down cement boards and then two layers of turf will be laid out over this to create the runway.  Making sure the nearby clothes shops don’t get upset because their latest summer collection now smells of bonfires and burning grass is very important. To do this, we sprinkle a layer of playground sand over the grass before the embers are added.  The sand is well compacted and no grass is protruding.

We will also spend a lot of time planning the route for the hot embers, that is, from where they are burnt to where they are laid. The embers will be transported by wheelbarrow to the walkway and it is vital that the access route is clear with no obstructions.  This often requires much manpower and security to ensure a smooth journey.  This includes individuals to open doorways and clear people well away as the hot embers are brought inside.

The indoor Firewalk

Once inside, the embers are laid out just as you would expect to see at an outdoor Firewalk.

Of course I have written this and made it sound very straight forward which of course is how it should be.  There are times however when it is just not feasible to safely run an indoor Firewalk, If logistically, we cannot plan and execute a professional and safe Firewalk for all those involved we regrettably will not attempt to do so.