Pittsfield Fire Issues Public Service Announcement: Social Media Challenges with Isopropyl Alcohol and Open Flames
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Pittsfield Fire Department has been monitoring social?media challenges involving isopropyl alcohol and open flames.
These occurrences have caused severe burn injuries in children, making close supervision, safe storage of chemicals, and proactive fire?safety education essential for prevention.
Although these trends have been around for quite some time at a national level, we have recently seen an emergence within our community.
What the current trends involve:
Several dangerous online challenges circulating on platforms like TikTok encourage children to ignite isopropyl alcohol or use it to create visual "effects"
- "Fire?breathing" stunts where kids hold isopropyl alcohol in their mouths and blow it toward a flame, attempting to mimic performers
- Drawing shapes with isopropyl alcohol and lighting them on mirrors or surfaces to create fire patterns
- Pouring isopropyl alcohol on clothing or skin and igniting it, hoping it burns in a pattern before reaching the skin
These activities are extremely hazardous because isopropyl alcohol is highly flammable, vaporizes quickly, and can ignite unexpectedly. The Pittsfield Fire Department warns that injuries from such activities can be life?altering, with long?term scarring, respiratory damage, and risk of fatality.
The Pittsfield Fire Department emphasizes that these types of incidents can easily cause house fires, endangering entire households.
Why children are especially vulnerable:
Younger people often:
- Underestimate consequences and overestimate control over fire
- Are influenced by viral content designed to provoke risky behavior
- Lack understanding of how quickly alcohol vapors ignite and spread.
Fire?prevention strategies for parents and caregivers:
These strategies are grounded in the warnings from Pittsfield Fire Department and other agencies across the country who have responded to these emergencies:
- Control access to flammable household products.
- Store isopropyl alcohol, nail?polish remover, and other solvents out of reach or in locked cabinets.
- Keep lighters and matches secured and monitored.
- Monitor online activity and discuss digital risks.
- Fire officials recommend parents monitor what children are viewing on social media and talk openly about dangerous trends.
- Emphasize that "just because you see something online doesn’t mean it’s a good idea"
- Teach fire?safety basics early.
- Explain that isopropyl alcohol burns fast, invisibly at times, and unpredictably.
- Reinforce that no fire stunt is safe, even if it appears controlled in videos.
- Model safe behavior with household chemicals
- Demonstrate proper use of cleaning products and explain why they must never be used near heat sources.
- Avoid performing any flame?related tasks in front of children that could be misinterpreted as "easy" or "safe."
- Create a home fire?safety plan
- Ensure working smoke detectors on every level.
- Practice stop?drop?and?roll, safe evacuation routes, and how to call emergency services.
