Fire challenge: Mum warns other parents about new dangerous craze among teenagers after daughter almost died

fire challenge
(Image credit: Monkey Business Images/REX/Shutterstock)

A mum whose daughter almost died after taking part in the 'fire challenge' has urged other parents to keep an eye on their children.

Brandi Owens, from Detroit, US, revealed on social media that her 12-year-old daughter Timiyah Landers had been hospitalised as a result of taking part in the new craze, named fire challenge.

The new dangerous game took off on Youtube, and sees people dousing themselves in flammable liquid and then set themselves alight. In Timiyah's case, the girl took part in the challenge her mum had made her and her friends pancakes at their house.

Brandi heard a 'loud explosion' a few minutes after leaving her daughter alone with her friends, and then saw Timiyah already engulfed in flames, running and screaming down the hall.

The young girl, who's still in intensive care, has been left with burns over 49 per cent of her body, and currently needs a ventilator to breathe.

Talking to Fox 2 Detroit, the mum urged parents to be aware of their children are looking at online: 'Monitor these kids. Especially with these phones. If I could, with this happening, my kids would never be able to go on social media. No more iPhones. Nothing.'

The craze is said to have started back in 2014, and while there's no official numbers of teenagers injured after trying the challenge, there's been reports of another 12-year-old boy from South Carolina, US, who had to be hospitalised after attempting the challenge.

The new craze comes after other similar dangerous games that spread among teenagers on social media, such as the choking game, the deodorant challenge, and the Tide pod challenge.

With so many dangerous trends online, make sure you always monitor what your children are looking at on social media.

Have your children ever attempted any of these dangerous challenges? Share your experiences with us over on our Facebook page.

Mariana Cerqueira
Lifestyle Editor

Mariana is a lifestyle writer who has written for Goodto.com and My Imperfect Life. She joined the Goodto.com team as an intern after completing her journalism MA at City University. After six months spent writing about food, celebrity news, and family trends, Mariana left to write for Healthy Food magazine - but returned in 2017, to join the Future team once again. In her spare time, you’ll find Mariana in the kitchen cooking for her friends.