TMZ: Director Blamed For Jackson Injury

The fire captain who was working as the safety inspector the day Michael Jackson's hair caught on fire during a Pepsi commerical shoot tells TMZ.com that the director is to blame for Jackson's injuries on the set.

Los Angeles County fire captain Don Donester said that director Bob Giraldi had told Jackson that he wanted the singer to stand under the sparks longer so it would have a more dramatic effect. Listen to the interview on TMZ .

Donester said he overheard Giraldi say, "Stand there longer [under the sparks]. You'll look more majestic."

Jackson corroborates what Donester said in an excerpt of his autobiography. "[Giraldi] came up to me and said, 'Michael, you're going down too early. We want to see you up there, up on the stairs. When the lights come on, we want to reveal that you're there, so wait.'"

TMZ got in contact with Giraldi who denied that he ever made the statements.

Video of Jackson's hair catching on fire was obtained by Us Weekly on Wednesday. It shows a rear view of the singer as the pyrotechnics are prematurely set off. Jackson is unaware that his hair is on fire until he descends the stairs and stagehands rush to help extinguish the flames. Jackson can be seen with bare patches on his head.

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