My question is: how do dreadlocks burn? A character in the story has extremely long dreads and somehow they catch fire — maybe from a decorative, scented candle or something similar. Hijinks ensue. But I need to know how long it takes for them to burn to correctly time the running-and-shouting sequence that happens between the dreads catching fire and their wearer obtaining water. Do the dreads stay in any form — that is to say, are they burnt down to thin, charred threads of dead hair — or do they just crumble up into nothing like regular, un-dreadlocked hair? More information on hair burning in general might help with this, too.
(The character finds water before the fire reaches the scalp, so information on scalp burns isn't really necessary.)
