BOTH people were electrocuted to death in their Wisconsin home while trying a dangerous art technique before the house caught fire.
The couple, 44-year-old Tanya Rodriguez and 52-year-old James Carolfi, were attempting to create art using a dangerous technique called fractal wood burning.
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The technique uses high-voltage electricity to create designs in wood and has gained popularity through social media sites, reports CBS.
The equipment used for the art caused the electrocutions and the house fire, which started in the garage and quickly spread.
The fractal process typically uses a high-voltage transformer, often repurposed from a microwave oven, to flow current across wood items soaked with a chemical solution, according to the Woodworking Network.
The American Association of Woodturners has banned the use of fractal burning at all of their events and any articles about it in their publications.
At least 33 people have died attempting the practice.
Regardless of their level of expertise— beginner or a long practicing electrician— mistakes made while fractal burning doesn’t result in injury, but death.
An investigation found Rodriguez and Carolfi were dead before the fire started.
Their bodies were found in the garage on April 6.
