Pennsylvania Teen Hospitalized With Severe Burns After Doing 'Fire-Breathing' Social Media Challenge

'Watch what your children are doing on social media, practice fire safety with your family and do NOT attempt anything you see on social media,' Pitcairn Fire Chief Tommy Dick told NTD on Tuesday.

Audrey Simons

Published: 3/3/2026, 5:51:25 PM EST

Pennsylvania Teen Hospitalized With Severe Burns After Doing 'Fire-Breathing' Social Media Challenge — A Los Angeles Fire Department truck leaves after a tunnel collapsed in Los Angeles on July 9, 2025. (Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo)

Pennsylvania authorities are warning parents about the dangers of flammable substances after a 14-year-old girl suffered serious burns last week while attempting a "fire-breathing" social media challenge.

Fire crews received a call Friday evening that someone's hair had caught fire in an apartment in Pitcairn, just outside of Pittsburgh, Pitcairn Fire Chief Tommy Dick told NTD via email on Tuesday.

"We responded promptly and arrived on scene to find a patient with severe burns on the face, neck, and chest area," Dick said. "Our crews confirmed there was no active fire in the apartment and EMS transported the patient to a burn center."

Officials told CBS News Pittsburgh that the teen was burned after igniting isopropyl alcohol, more commonly known as rubbing alcohol, which is often used as an antiseptic for cleaning minor cuts or as a household disinfectant.

The fire-breathing trend, which involves spitting out a flammable product over an open flame, has been making rounds on various social media platforms, including TikTok and Instagram, where videos have garnered tens of thousands of views.

NTD reached out to Instagram for comment, but a response was not received by publication time.

A representative for TikTok USDS Joint Venture shared the app's community guidelines with NTD on Tuesday, noting that the company uses "advanced automation technology and human moderation" to identify, review, and remove any videos that violate these policies.

According to the guidelines, TikTok does not allow content "that shows or promotes dangerous activities or challenges." The representative said that every teenager who joins TikTok views a video that outlines a four-step process to do before participating in an online trend: "Stop, Think, Decide & Act."

Wilmerding Fire Marshal Al Hussey, who was called in to investigate the Pitcairn incident, told ABC 6 Action News that the apartment was fortunately not destroyed by the fire.

"Luckily, in this particular case, it did not burn the building down," Hussey said. "But somebody really got hurt, and, you know, is going to have life-altering injuries from this incident."

Hussey warned against attempting dangerous stunts using flammable substances, urging parents and caregivers to be vigilant when children are around them.

"First and foremost, you could lose your life. Second, you can have life-altering injuries to your appearance. Third, you could injure others," he told the news outlet.

"If they're doing their hair with chemicals, if they're taking isopropyl alcohol in the room, or any type of fingernail polish remover. Obviously, monitor your lighters and your matches and educate your children."

Dick shared a similar warning with NTD.

"Watch what your children are doing on social media, practice fire safety with your family and do NOT attempt anything you see on social media," he said. "Fortunately this young girl will live but she very well could have been killed by this kind of activity."