Fractal Wood Burning Death: Woman electrocuted to death while trying TikTok art trend

Two people in Wisconsin have died as a result of a TikTok trend in which people use high voltage to create a lightning-like design on wood.

Tanya Rodriguez, 44, and James Carolfi, 52, were killed on April 6, 2022, while practising fractal wood burning in the garage of their home in Rozellville, Marathon County. Their deaths were described as “accidental,” with no evidence of foul play.

According to Sheriff’s Deputy Chad Billeb, the two were electrocuted to death before the fractal wood-burning equipment started a house fire.

Fractal burning has claimed the lives of 33 people, according to the American Association of Woodturners. Following the death of a woodworker in Washington State in 2017, the group’s safety committee banned the activity.

On the Woodworking Network’s website, the practise 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.