WASHINGTON – Water and fire don’t mix. So it’s no surprise that Saturday, on Day 50 of the Olympic torch relay, the “eternal flame” was extinguished while on a white water rafting trip.
Zach Franklin, a British canoeist, tried to hold the flame high enough to keep it lit as the team went down the course in Hertfordshire, England, but couldn’t, according to USA TODAY.
This isn’t the first time the flame has gone out. On May 21 it burned out while attached to the wheelchair of a para-badminton player.
It also was blown out after it was first lit in Greece, before it was handed to the first torchbearer.
After the most recent incident, the torch was immediately relit from a backup lantern that contained the “mother flame.”
Watch the video of the torch going out below.
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