If nothing actually has to burn, I'm a BIG fan of fake fire, particularly the silk variety. Done right, from a distance of about twenty feet, it's almost visually indistinguishible from real fire. Your ME should be able to rig you something that looks good and is safe with a few flickering, colored lights, a powerful but quiet fan, and some artfully cut lightweight silk. Add a little stage smoke, even!
Then you just need to figure out what to do about the various liquids going into the basket, the lighter fluid and the water from the bottle. Compartmentalized can, maybe.