A 14-year-old Pittsburgh-area girl is in the hospital with severe burns after she took part in a dangerous trend on TikTok, firefighters said.
Pitcairn Fire Chief Tommy Dick said the Pitcairn girl was playing with isopropyl alcohol Friday night at a nine-unit apartment complex on Third Street.
“It’s not a very smart thing for anybody to do, let alone children,” Dick said. “It’s supposed to be for cleaning off wounds and cuts and stuff, not ingesting and trying to blow fire.”
Wilmerding Fire Marshal Al Hussey told KDKA the girl tried to “breathe fire” with isopropyl alcohol, or rubbing alcohol. She ended up with serious burns on her face, neck and chest, and EMS crews transported her to UPMC Mercy’s Burn Center. Hussey said as of Sunday, she was intubated.
“There was no active fire when we got on scene,” Dick said.
Thankfully, the flames didn’t spread, but Dick said the girl is lucky to be alive.
“This could have easily gone inside their digestive track, and she could have died,” Dick said.
They said it’s all because of a viral challenge on TikTok.
“Just because you’ve seen it on social media doesn’t mean you should do it,” Dick said.
That’s the message first responders want to send to teens and their parents, urging the latter to have conversations with their children about flammable items like alcohols, nail polish removers and hair sprays.
“Practice fire safety with your families and make sure that you’re active in their lives,” Dick said.
KDKA reached out to Pitcairn police to see if they’re investigating or if charges would be filed, but they haven’t yet responded to us.