A 12-year-old boy, Nick Howell, warned other kids not to try the "Fire Challenge" and everything posted on social media after getting his lesson the painful way: he burned 35 percent of his body while attempting the "Fire Challenge." He also spent almost six months in and out of the hospital and had 50 surgeries to treat his burns.
The incident also caused him to relearn to walk, stand, and get dressed.
The fire challenge
According to People, on October 20, 2020, the day after Nick's grandfather died, Nick was at the back porch at his grandmother's house in Miami with his younger brother and cousins.
While the adults were in the other room, the kids talked about the Tiktok videos, including the "Fire Challenge." A teen poured objects with an accelerant and lit them on fire. Nick, who was 11 at the time, found a lighter and decided to try it.
He recalled pouring a bit of rubbing alcohol on the concrete floor, lighting it, and then trying to put it out. The alcohol bottle, however, caught fire, and it exploded. Meanwhile, he burned himself badly.
He started running toward the front of the house where the grown-up had gathered.
His father and two uncles sprayed him with a garden hose and patted him down to put out the fire.
The family then called a police officer at a nearby school who called an ambulance. The boy was then airlifted to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital.
50 Surgeries
The incident caused him to spend six months in and out of the hospital and have 50 surgeries. The fire caused damage to the nerves on his legs, so Nick had to relearn how to walk, stand, and get dressed.
According to Nick's mom, the accident opened her eyes in many ways, especially parenting.
Her mom said that parents should make their children understand the real-life consequences of these challenges.
More fire challenge victims
However, Nick's unfortunate incident is not an isolated case. In 2019, NBC News reported a 12-year-old Michigan boy who was badly burned after a friend set him on fire after doing a "fire challenge."
According to Tabitha Cleary, her son suffered second-degree burns after a friend sprayed her son, Jason, with a nail polish remover and set him on fire. The boy was admitted to the hospital for four days after he was doused at a friend's house.
According to Jason, the first attempt to douse him created a tiny fire. His friends swatted it out. For the second time, Jason remembered that the flames flared up, and he described being in pain in the back seat as his mother rushed him to the hospital.
In 2016, a boy from Queens, New York, doused himself with rubbing alcohol and set himself on fire in response to the challenge.
In 2018, Click on Detroit reported that a 12-year-old Timiyah Landers spent two months in the hospital after suffering from second and third-degree burns after doing the "fire challenge."
People said that Tiktok declined to comment on the alarming challenges. However, in an updated safety policy released in February, Tiktok noted that they do not permit users to share contents that depict, promotes, and normalizes acts that could lead to death or severe injury.
