While attempting to recreate a viral TikTok fad, a man and a woman shocked themselves to death.
In early April, Wisconsin police stated they went to a residence fire in Marathon County and discovered two people deceased on the scene. Tanya Rodriguez, 44, and James Carolfi, 52, were found dead in the garage from electrocution, according to authorities.
Wisconsin Couple Dies Due to DIY TikTok Trend
The two were attempting to imitate the TikTok fad of fractal burning. Professionals use fractal burning to burn tree-like motifs into the wood, which is commonly used as decorations or tables. The fatalities were first considered as homicides, but police eventually determined it was an accident, according to Fox News.
To etch complicated shapes onto slabs of wood, fractal wood burning uses high-voltage electricity and a chemical solution. The method produces Lichtenberg patterns, a pattern discovered by German scientist Georg Lichtenberg during static electricity studies in 1777. The complex motifs resemble tree branches, lightning bolts, or ferns and are commonly observed in the scars of persons who have been struck by lightning.
Fractal wood burning has become a social media sensation as a result of the outcomes. On the Internet, there are hundreds of how-to videos. #fractalburning and related hashtags have amassed millions of views on TikTok. However, the visually pleasing aspect of veins spreading over a piece of wood can come at a great price - and has proven lethal on hundreds of occasions.
People who attempt the craft frequently disassemble microwaves or car batteries to extract the power source, which is then linked to nails affixed to a piece of wood coated with a conductive mix of baking soda and water through jumper wires.
According to the American Association of Woodturners, at least 33 individuals have died through fractal wood burning since 2016. They range from novices to skilled electricians. References to the harmful process are prohibited in the group's activities, as well as in its writings and publications.
As reported by Lt. Steven DeNovi, an investigator with the Marathon County Sheriff's Office, the high voltage involved in the procedure pushes a flow of electricity that is more than enough to cause death. It also appears to have started a large fire in the Wisconsin residence.
When medical examiners suggested fractal burning may have caused the couple's death, Billeb, the top deputy, said detectives went through dozens of films about it. According to him, the case was renamed a sad accident after two weeks.
Investigators eventually determined that Rodriguez and Carolfi were practicing the art in their garage on Wednesday morning. The power source had been a dismantled microwave. Officials say the couple was shocked to death and that their home was burnt down after they died, Washington Post via MSN reported.
How Dangerous Is Fractal Wood-Burning?
Worksafe New Zealand recorded two deadly fractal burning accidents in 2020, both of which included electrocution. According to the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, a man from Western Australia sadly died from electric shock after touching a handmade gadget used during the DIY procedure.
Another guy who created the device was charged after confessing to watching internet videos and making a DIY electrical gadget with microwave components and jumper leads that he loaned to a friend of the man who died.
In 2018, a similar wood art burning device is said to have killed a man in South Australia. Hundreds of millions of people have watched videos of the process on social media sites like TikTok, using hashtags like #woodturning, #woodburningart, #woodburning, and others.
According to Phil McDonald, executive director of the American Association of Woodturners, the proliferation of popular movies about the art form has led to an increase in the number of accidents and deaths, as per Yahoo News.
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