A 14-year-old girl in Pennsylvania has been left intubated with severe burns after attempting a 'fire breathing' challenge she saw on social media. The incident occurred on Friday night inside an apartment building in Allegheny County.
The teenager used isopropyl alcohol to try to breathe fire, a trend popular on TikTok. Fire officials said she is lucky to have survived the stunt. 'Somebody got really hurt and is going to have life-altering injuries,' said Al Hussey, Wilmerding Borough Fire Marshal.
The girl suffered burns to her face, neck and chest and was taken to UPMC Mercy's Burn Center. Pitcairn Fire Chief Tommy Dick warned that the chemical is meant for cleaning wounds, not for ingesting or blowing fire. 'This could have easily gone inside their digestive tract and she could have died,' he said.
Fire officials are urging parents to monitor their children's access to household products and to educate them about fire safety. The incident follows a similar case last month where a nine-year-old boy was severely burned after microwaving a toy as part of another TikTok trend.
