A child in East Haven was severely burned while attempting a social media challenge that calls for igniting a bottle of alcohol, fire officials said Wednesday.
The victim was being treated at the Bridgeport Hospital Burn Center, Fire Chief Matt Marcarelli said. Firefighters responded Tuesday at about 8:30 p.m. to a call about a burn victim and learned the child had been trying the latest TikTok craze called “the whoosh bottle experiment,” Marcarelli said. Igniting alcohol inside a bottle is meant to create a “whoosh” sound, he said.
Warning that fire is not a toy, the chief said, “This could easily have led to a fatality as well as a major fire in the house. Alcohol is a volatile flammable liquid and can act as an accelerant.” Fire Marshal Charles Miller investigated the incident and will be reaching out to local public schools to make sure kids are aware of the potential dangers.