WHAT’S BEING CLAIMED:
- Wisconsin couple Tanya Rodriguez and James Carolfi were electrocuted to death at their home.
- The middle-aged couple was trying fractal wood burning, a dangerous TikTok art trend
- Police said the pair was already dead before the fire started at their home.
A TikTok art trend has claimed the lives of two people in Wisconsin on April 6.
Couple Tanya Rodriguez, 44, and James Carolfi, 52, were killed while attempting fractal wood burning in the garage of their home in Rozellville, Marathon County. People use high voltage to create a lightning-like design on wood in fractal wood burning.
Authorities, who initially thought of the deaths as suspicious, ruled out foul play and described it as ‘accidental.’
Sheriff’s Deputy Chad Billeb said the couple was already dead from electrocution before the fractal wood-burning equipment started a house fire.
According to a report from the American Association of Woodturners, 33 people have died as a result of fractal burning. The association’s safety committee banned the activity after the death of a woodworker in Washington State in 2017.
On the Woodworking Network’s website, the practice is described as using a high-voltage transformer to flow across a piece of wood that has been soaked in a chemical. The transformer commonly comes from a microwave oven or a car battery. When using a car battery, the practice is known as the Lichtenberg process.
In May 2020, The Milton Courier reported the death of another Wisconsin man, Matt Schmidt. He died at age 35 while practicing the Lichtenberg process, his wife Caitlin told the outlet.
Source: Daily Mail
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