Red Mile fire dancer recovering from burns with help from Calgarians

There's been an outpouring of support from Calgarians for a local firedancer who badly burned his hand while performing on the Red Mile last Tuesday.

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Thousands of dollars have been raised on a crowdfunding websiteto helpcoverGregory Morton's medical bills.

Complete strangers are even offering support in the way of meals and child care for his son.

Still in hospital, and unable to work,the fire dancer and photographer says he couldn't be more grateful.

"The support that we've received from everybody, from our friends and family and even people that we've never even met before that just stepped up from the community, has been just spectacular and so unexpected and I think it really shows the strength of the city and the people here," he said.

Safety important

Morton will find out soon if he needs skin grafts and says once he's healedhe will decide if he wants to continue practicing the daredevil sport.

While his injuries were a close call, he and his family want to point out that safety is one of the most important components of fire dancing.

Spinning and throwing sticks on fire into the air isan act Morton has performed thousands of times,but hecaught on fire afterspillinglighter fluid on his hands while moving from one performancelocation to another.

"People who go skydiving, or ride motorcycles, there's always a danger there and this is something that we do as an art form," saidMorton's wife SydneyMielke. "And we want to share this with people as entertainment, but we don't want it to have any negative backlashes on our community."