Michigan Boy, 12, Severely Burned by friends in Viral ‘Fire Challenge’

  • 12 Oct - 18 Oct, 2019
  • Mag The Weekly
  • Mag Files


A Michigan mother is speaking out on the dangers of the viral “Fire Challenge” after her 12-year-old son suffered second-degree burns when his friends dangerously gave it a go. Tabitha Cleary said her son Jason was at a friend’s house in Dearborn Heights when he was sprayed by a friend with nail polish remover and lit on fire. The stunt was inspired by a YouTube challenged dubbed the “Fire Challenge”, in which participants douse themselves in flammable substances, light each other on fire, and then record what happens. Cleary said that watching her son endure his pain was “heartbreaking,” and that she hopes to spread the word by alerting other parents. “I just want everybody to know that these challenges, or whatever they’re watching on YouTube, is not worth risking your life,” she said. “I mean, my son got burned second-degree, and it could’ve been way worse.” The “Fire Challenge” has circulated since at least 2014. YouTube cracked down on dangerous stunts such as the “Fire Challenge” with a new set of policies in January that banned anything deemed harmful or dangerous.

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