LAS VEGAS -- A crew member working with magician Steve Wyrick is recovering from a botched stunt on the Las Vegas Strip, one that may have revealed how Wyrick performs his tricks.

Hundreds of people stood in the crowd outside the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino Saturday night awaiting Wyrick’s much-hyped “Death Drop.” The magician, who performs at the hotel, was locked in a trunk by Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington.

Or so the audience thought.

During the act, a crane was to lift the box, with Wyrick inside, over a bed of spikes. Bennington was to light fire to ropes holding the box and the magician was to break free and escape just before the box crashed on the stage.

But the stage curtain caught fire before the trunk could be raised above the spikes. The crowd watched as crew members rushed the stage with fire extinguishers and a stuntman was treated by paramedics.

“Obviously, when you undertake a stunt of this magnitude there is a risk of someone getting injured,” said Wyrick’s publicist, who said the crew member suffered minor injuries, but is expected to recover.

But wasn’t Wyrick supposed to be in the box?

The answer, audience members soon found out, was no. As crews put out the fire, a helicopter landed nearby and the magician stepped out, completely unharmed.

Although the fire and Wyrick’s helicopter landing were caught on videotape, resort officials aren’t revealing his secrets.

Calls to Wyrick’s publicist were not returned Monday, so it’s unknown whether the fire was part of the act or if it started prematurely.

And the burning question remains, how did Wyrick get out of the box?