Onlookers who saw a Melbourne street performer catch fire thought it was all part of the act.
Southbank worker Jack Jopling, 23, was sitting down having lunch with friends when the female busker's stunt went horribly wrong just after midday on Monday.
"We saw the lady doing tricks with fire," he told AAP.
"She was effectively balancing candles on her body and I think one fell over and caught on her clothing."
The performer suddenly began screaming and rolling on the ground.
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"It was looking like she was on fire and we were waiting to see what the next part of the trick was," Jopling said.
Onlookers quickly realised she was in trouble and hurried towards her, using their jackets and buckets of water to douse the flames on her legs and back before emergency crews arrived.
"It actually looked like a reasonable amount (of flames)," Jopling said.
"Most people thought it was just part of the trick, they couldn't quite believe it."
The woman, believed to be in her 20s, was taken to hospital in a serious condition with burns to her back and legs, an Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said on Monday.
The street performer was taken to the Alfred Hospital where she remains in a stable condition.
