The Alarming 'Fire Challenge Trend' Is Back Again—Here's What Parents Need To Know
Everyone spends time on TikTok nowadays—there are funny, viral dances and sounds, cute pets and plenty of informative accounts, after all. But since TikTok is a place where anyone can make a video and have it go viral, it’s not the best place for safety at times. And that’s why a lot of dangerous TikTok trends go viral without proper warnings and before they can be taken down from the platform. This includes the fire challenge trend, which has led to hospitalizations.
In May 2021, a teen from Portland, Oregon, Destini Crane, tried to film a TikTok based on this trend in her bathroom and set herself on fire instead. This led to her being admitted to the ICU with serious burns on her neck and arms. The 13-year-old’s family told ABC 7 news that it was “unreal” and “heartbreaking.”
“It was horrible,” her mother, Kimberly, said. But the trend didn't end there.
So what is the fire challenge trend and how can parents take precautions? Read on to find out.
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What is the fire challenge trend on TikTok?
The fire challenge consists of spraying aerosol cans like hairspray on a mirror in a shape or just in general, and then lighting the spray on fire. Another fire challenge consists of using hand sanitizer in your hand and lighting it on fire. And yet another version of this challenge just involves dousing things in accelerant and lighting it on fire.
Without needing to say this, none of the fire trends are safe and unless done by professionals with proper safety measures and training, no one should be trying these at home or elsewhere.
Who started the fire challenge trend?
As Distractify reported in 2021, TikToker Jack Jerry started posting videos of him spraying shapes with hairspray on a mirror and then lighting it on fire. This allegedly made a cool effect when shot in the dark (these videos no longer exist on his platform), but, of course, posed major risks.
With nearly 2 million followers at the time, it makes sense that impressionable kids and other TikTokers wanted to try this cool visual effect without realizing that maybe there were professionals on the other side of Jerry’s videos (or that he didn’t show any unsafe issues he might have had while creating them).
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In the news
After Destini Crane caught on fire, her sister, Andrea, told ABC 7 that her friend was screaming, “She was filming TikToks,” multiple times. Other evidence that she was trying to do the fire trend included an alcohol bottle on the bathroom counter, a lighter and a candle.
Unfortunately, she’s not the only kid who’s been sent to the ICU because of this fire challenge trend. People reported in 2022 that 12-year-old Nick Howell burned 35 percent of his body while doing a different version of the fire challenge. Howell saw TikToks of a variation of this fire challenge that involved pouring accelerant on items and lighting them on fire. He decided to try it with rubbing alcohol on a concrete floor. Instead of just igniting the floor, the bottle caught on fire and it exploded, burning Howell.
In April 2023, 16-year-old Mason Dark tried the challenge with spray paint and a lighter, which caused an explosion and resulted in burns on over 75 percent of his body, according to WRAL News.
And at the time of this writing, "TikTok fire challenge 2023" has, once again, become a breakout search on Google.
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What do parents need to know about the fire challenge TikTok trend?
Howell had to have 50 surgeries and was in and out of the hospital for half a year. His mother, Estela Guillen, told People that this fire challenge-related incident “opened up” her eyes when it came to parenting.
"You think you're vigilant, but that's clearly not enough,” she said. “We have to make our children understand that there are really real-life consequences to these challenges."
Portland firefighter Rob Garrison told ABC 7 that the trend that led to Destini Crane’s accident was “maybe one of the most dangerous things [he’s] ever seen anybody do in [his] life.” He said that even if you’re near a body of water like a lake, “and light yourself on fire… by the time you hit the water, you're probably going to have burns on your body.”
When it comes to what parents should do to prevent something like this thanks to the fire challenge, or another dangerous online trend, Crane’s sister, Andrea, said being vigilant is key.
"Monitor what kids are looking at, because they can put themselves in dangerous situations without even realizing it," she said.
Ultimately, the Crane family spoke out about Destini’s incident because they didn’t want other parents to deal with this tragedy. Garrison ultimately said that parents have to have a talk with their children about the dangers of playing with fire and following dangerous trends they see online.
Next up, read about the dangerous TikTok trend that won't go away: the Benadryl challenge.