Dangerous #firechallenge trending on Facebook

People are putting themselves in serious danger as they set themselves on fire for dangerous new viral Facebook trend [WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT].

fire-challenge

by Kayleigh Dray |
Published on

The disturbing viral trend, dubbed the #firechallenge, sees teenagers dousing themselves in accelerants - such as alcohol, petrol or oil - and setting themselves on fire in a bid to achieve internet glory.

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Focusing on their chest or leg hair, or their intimate areas, young people have been uploading shocking videos of themselves on fire to social media, using the hashtag #firechallenge to ensure others can find it.

Videos of the “Fire Challenge” also show teens spraying themselves with aerosol cans before lighting portions of their body on fire in order to singe off their own hair.

But the videos never show the physical aftermath of lighting one’s self on fire and, perhaps unsurprisingly, people are seriously injuring themselves.

One 15-year-old boy, who voluntarily covered himself in rubbing alcohol and set his body on fire, sustained serious burn injuries when his #firechallenge went too far.

**WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT **

The injured teen revealed that his second-degree burns were "unbearable", but that he had never considered that his #FireChallenge would result in injury, insisting that most posts never show what happens after the flames have been put out.

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Asked by WKYT-TV what he had expected from his stunt, he said, “I don't know, I wasn't thinking really.”

One of the responding firefighters remarked that the boy’s burns would affect him for the rest of his life, adding: "What they don't show at the end of the videos is the consequences of doing this, getting second and third degree burns."

Thankfully, no one has died yet, which has not been the case in other viral "games" that have popped up on the Internet lately.

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When the Neknominate games emerged earlier this year, five people drank themselves to death - adding bleach and other dangerous substances - to their drink for the sake of outdoing each other on Facebook.

And in May, a “cold water challenge” was blamed for the death of a Minnesota 16-year-old found dead in a freezing lake.

Have you seen a #firechallenge on your Facebook feed yet? Let us know via the Comments Box below.

You should also read: Shock as 9-year-old girl becomes victim of dangerous ‘NekNominate’ trend

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