I've seen Lance Burton's magic show, and rather than waste my brain power trying to figure out how the tricks worked, I just marveled at the illusions and had a good time.

This item from today's Las Vegas Review-Journal about a fire that broke out in the course of a magic show gives some insight into how some of those magic tricks are done - the kind where the magician gets into a box and the next thing you know he's driving onto the stage in a Corvette or getting out of a helicopter. By the way, remember my other post (Tricked) about the band front-man (of whom 99% of us had never heard) who is always having accidents? He was the MC at this near-disaster.

"A member of magician Steve Wyrick's stunt crew suffered minor injuries Saturday when a fire engulfed the staging area of an act that was billed as a "Death Drop."

The incident occurred in front of hundreds of Fourth of July revelers on the Strip outside the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort. Witnesses said the injured man who came out of a trunk appeared to be Wyrick's stunt double. He was not identified, but Wyrick's representative, Lindsey Rathjen, said he was treated immediately by paramedics and a speedy recovery was expected.

Shortly before the fire, Wyrick was seen being shackled near the box by Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington and members of his new band.

A crane was to lift the box containing Wyrick 80 feet in the air. As flames burned through the last rope holding the box, Wyrick was to escape and leap to safety as the box crashed on flaming spikes.

While the crowd watched the flames being extinguished, a helicopter arrived with Wyrick inside.

Wyrick did not return calls by deadline.

The stunt was to publicize the opening of Bennington's new Club Tattoo store in Miracle Mile, where Wyrick performs.

"Obviously, when you undertake a stunt of this magnitude there is a risk of someone getting injured," Rathjen said. "We took every precaution to ensure the safety of Steve, Chester, the crew."

Copyright 2009 Las Vegas Review-Journal