Melbourne fire act goes horribly wrong

A Melbourne fire twirler who caught fire while busking in the CBD is recovering from her painful ordeal.

Onlooker Jack Jopling, 23, was sitting down having lunch with friends when the woman's stunt went horribly wrong just after midday on Monday.

He said she was balancing candles on her body when one fell over and caught on her clothing.

She suddenly began screaming and rolling on the ground.

"Most people thought it was just part of the trick, they couldn't quite believe it," Mr Jopling said.

The woman, believed to be aged in her 20s, was taken to hospital in a serious condition with burns to her back and legs and spent the night in The Alfred hospital in a stable condition.