Fla. mermaid's face catches fire during performance

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A Florida woman who performs as a mermaid in underwater appearances says she learned a valuable lesson after her face caught on fire during a recent performance.

Wolf's Museum of Mystery in St. Augustine posted video of the harrowing incident to its Facebook page. 

The video shows Trina Mason dressed as a mermaid, halfway submerged in a tank of water. attempting to "breathe fire" by exhaling combustible fluid out of her mouth towards a flaming torch.

A small amount of material near Mason's mouth caught fire and soon engulfed her entire face.

Mason, 24, quickly submerged herself into the tank to extinguish the flames.

"When your face catches on fire you literally see nothing but flames," Mason wrote on her Facebook page.

In her own Facebook post, Mason blames the incident on using campfire fuel, instead of lamp fuel, during the performance.

Mason, who lives in northern Florida and performs underwater shows at birthday parties, fairs, and festivals, says she won't quit, but definitely learned a valuable lesson.

Wolf's Museum of Mystery is actually the private home of Wolfgang Von Mertz located in the old town section of St. Augustine.  The museum showcases rare items from all over the world, and on display to the public.