This is really not that big of a deal, but I know how people talk, and I don't want exaggerated versions of this story to go to far. So before you hear it from somebody else, here is the truth from the source, first.

Q: What happened on the evening of July 6, 1998 at the barbeque?

A; An unfortunate sequence of events and a bit of carelessness on my part led to some minor burns on my right hand, and some singed hair.

Q: Did your hair catch on fire?

A: No. A tiny bit was singed and it made a revolting smell but that was it. My burned right hand was the only injury, and that was no worse than a bad sunburn.

Q: Who saw it?

A: My wife, who was helping me. Fiid Williams and Kara Perlot were nearby (in the hot tub) but they were not looking at the critical moment.

Q: Are you OK now?

A: Totally fine. I slathered aloe vera gel (purchased in case anybody got sunburned) all over my right hand for the rest of the evening and the next day it was fine.

Q: Describe the burn to your right hand in more detail.

A: All four fingers recieved first-degree burns, so they were bright red and hurt a lot. The hair on the back of my fingers is now about half as long as it used to be. It looks fine but if you compare both hands you can tell the difference. The next day there was no visible damage except for the barely noticeable hair thing.

Q: What was the unfortunate sequence of events that led up to this?

A: Kim had informed me of a different lighting technique from the normal one I use, and I was using both without thinking it through first.

I usually pile the charcoal up in a pyramid- or cone-shaped heap, squirt a lot of lighter fluid on it, let it soak for about five minutes, and then toss a match on, all with the lid off. The trick is, once the lighter fluid has burned away, the coals have been heated enough to burn on their own. Once this is set you cover the coals with the grill lid and let them burn for 10-15 minutes, and then they are ready to cook on. This technique requires a bunch of lighter fluid because if it all evaporates or burns off before the coals are burning on their own, you have to start again.

Kim suggested an alternate technique which sounded more reasonable. You apply a smaller amount of lighter fluid, but you light the coals immediately, and then you place the lid on and let it heat up. With the lid on there is less evaporation of the lighter fluid and less oxygen available, so it seemed that this was a simpler and faster method. I was willing to give it a try.

I went about it the wrong way. I had already started on my regular technique, putting a lot of lighter fluid on the coals. I then closed the lid to let them soak when she clarified the part about lighting it before closing the lid. I then opened the lid (letting concentrated, vaporized lighter fluid out) and tossed a match in. Boom.

If I had opened the lid, waited 5 seconds, and then thrown the match in, no problem. As it was I leaned forward as I was opening the lid and threw the match in.

Q: What happened after you threw in the match? Could you have done anything at that point?

A: No way. When I threw the match in, a fireball of lit lighter fluid vapor ignited, and as fast as you can say "voom" it was over. My right hand was burned because that is the hand I held the match in. My hair was singed by the heat of the explosion.

Q: Any final comments?

A: Sure. Burned hair smells terrible. Also, gas grills are much better than charcoal grills. My dad has a propane grill and I have had lots of food cooked on it. It tastes just fine, no degradation in quality from the lack of charcoal flame. Plus it is easier to start and easier to turn off, and less messy.