Teen, 15, seriously hurt after setting himself ABLAZE in disturbing new online trend dubbed the ‘Fire Challenge’

A Kentucky teenager is recovering from second-degree burns after he set himself alight after copying a dangerous new trend online dubbed the ‘Fire Challenge’.

The 15-year-old, who declined to be identified for CBS Affiliate WKYT, poured rubbing alcohol over his chest and filmed himself on Friday.

Videos of people doing the same have started appearing online and the teen admitted he was not thinking of the consequences when he decided to imitate them.

‘I just poured alcohol on it, and lit it, and it just automatically went and burst,’ said the teen to WKYT.

‘Unbearable, yea, basically,’ the teen said about the pain, according to CBS Cleveland. ‘Literally after it got put out it was already blistering, it’s just hard.’

Firefighters arrived at the home of the boy’s aunt and took him to hospital for treatment to severe burns on his chest and abdomen.

The lucky teenager said that he had no idea of the likely effects because in the videos he had seen, the person who did the ‘fire challenge’ never kept the camera running long enough afterwards.

Firefighters in Lexington said they hope others listen and don’t try to copy the teenager.

‘What they don’t show at the end of the videos is the consequences of doing this, getting second and third degree burns,’ Lexington Fire Department Captain Chris Harrod said to WKYT.

The ‘Fire Challenge’ is the latest internet phenomenon in the same vein as the the gallon milk and cinnamon challenge.

However, while those are relatively safe, this is far more serious.

Videos online reveal a number of young men either using an aerosol canister or alcohol as an accelerant and then light their chest, legs, arms or even genital areas.

Most scream and shout as the flames ignite and thrash wildly to put the fire out while friends who are filming laugh out loud.

Others undertake the challenge in a shower, with close access to water should they need it.

Covered in bandages now, the chastened Kentucky teen told WKYT that he has been left feeling slightly foolish.

‘Just watching it and never seeing what ended and just being childish,’ said the 15-year-old.

‘I don’t know, I wasn’t thinking really.’ the teen admitted to WKYT.

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME: BIZARRE INTERNET CHALLENGES

The Cinnamon Challenge

The idea of the cinnamon challenge is to put a tablespoon of powdered cinnamon into your mouth and try to swallow it. Water is not allowed. Admittedly humorous videos uploaded online show people trying and failing to complete this challenge. However, doctors have warned not to try it because of the danger of choking due to the drying effect of the powdered spice.

The gallon of milk in an hour challenge

Made popular by television show Jackass, the point of this is to drink a gallon of the white stuff in an hour and then not vomit. While obviously disgusting, the seemingly innocent nature of milk had many trying and failing to complete the challenge. While doctors warn that drinking one gallon of anything, including water in an hour is dangerous, most fail the milk challenge because it curdles in the stomach and the body simply needs to expel it.

Neknominate

This particular online challenge is prevalent in the United Kingdom and began as a drinking game between two people. The challenge would be to drink a particularly strong alcoholic drink in one go and then ask another person to accept or deny the gauntlet. However, it expanded to include dangerous dares to be done after drinking and at least five deaths in Britain have been reported in Britain as a result of this.