Burger spicier than pepper spray sends UK journalists to hospital

A burger with some serious heat. (iStock)

If you can’t handle the heat, then stay out of the kitchen, and try to avoid the hospital as well.

Two British journalists were hospitalized after biting into a burger that contained a spicy sauce said to be hotter than the ingredients used in pepper spray.

Arron Hendy and Ruari Barratt were dining at U.K. eatery Burger Off. Each took one bite of the “XXX Hot Chili Burger.” Minutes later, Barratt began suffering from severe stomach pain and soon lost feeling in his hands. His legs also began shaking and his eyes rolled to the back of his head, reports The Argus.

While Hendy was initially okay, within two hours of his burger bite, he began experiencing similar symptoms to his colleague and went to the hospital where Barratt had already been admitted.

According to Burger Off’s Facebook page, this isn’t the first time restaurant patrons have been put in the hospital for biting into the fiery burger.

“It was hard to walk. I needed to drink milk to neutralize the burning, which was hard because I was hyperventilating so much my hands had seized up,” Barratt said to The Argus.

Hendy said he experienced more extreme symptoms.

“I was in so much pain I was telling people I felt like I was dying,” Hendy said. “It’s embarrassing but it felt that bad.If you’re thinking of trying this burger for a dare, just don’t.”

Burger Off is known for their monster burgers. (Facebook/Burger Off)

Owner Nick Nick Gambardella  requires all potential XXX Burger eaters to sign a waiver before they can chomp down on the five alarm sandwich.  The burger is not available to anyone under the age of 18.

The sauce uses a concentrated piri piri chili sauce from India. Gambardella estimated that the sauce measures between seven to nine million units on the Scolville scale.

Tabasco sauce comes in around 2,500 – 5,000, while pepper spray ranks 500,000 to five million units.

“I spend about as much time convincing people not to try one as I do selling them. I tell people it will ruin their weekend,” Gambardella told The Argus.