Girl, 11, is left with second-degree burns and guts her house after ‘setting herself alight with a candle’ as cops issue fresh warning against deadly social media fire challenge
- The child, who has not been named, from Pinellas County, Florida, gutted home
- The blaze started in her bedroom and three others were in the house at the time
- The girl’s sister Monessia Rhoden posted photographs of the destruction online
- The fire challenge sees people dousing their bodies in accelerant and lighting it
An 11-year-old girl has been left with second-degree burns after she ‘used a candle to take part in a fire challenge’.
The child, who has not been named, from Pinellas County, Florida, gutted her home during the deadly dare.
The blaze started in her bedroom and three other people were in the house when it set alight two weeks ago, but they made it out unscathed.
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The child, who has not been named, from Pinellas County, Florida, gutted her home (left and right) during the deadly dare
The girl’s sister Monessia Rhoden said on a fundraising page: ‘Sadly, my 11-year-old little sister was severely burned in the fire trying to extinguish it, and is now In Tampa General hospital burn unit.
‘Luckily, no one else was hurt, but my sister is facing a long, painful road to recovery.’
Her mother added her daughter had second-degree burns on her hands, stomach, thighs and chest, underwent surgery but was released from hospital on Wednesday.
The fire challenge sees people film themselves dousing their bodies in accelerant and lighting it.
Cops probing the blaze think it started when she took part in the dangerous social media task.
St Petersburg Fire Rescue Deputy Fire Marshall, Lt Steven Lawrence told Fox 13: ‘Common sense says don’t pour a flammable liquid on yourself and then ignite it.
‘What it’s gonna do is it’s gonna heat up your skin and eventually the alcohol is gonna burn off.’
He added: ‘But it’s also gonna destroy your skin tissue and the areas around that, it’s gonna start to heat up and basically you’re gonna melt your own skin and cook your own skin.’
Youngsters are challenged to pour liquid on themselves and set themselves on fire in the insane ‘craze’.
It has resulted in people requiring surgery and life-support treatment.
In August 2018, a 12-year-old girl from Detroit burned 49 per cent of her body in the bizarre trend.
Timiyah Landers performed the challenge in front of two friends at her home in Detroit, Michigan, after her mother had made them pancakes.
Tamiyah Landers, 12, was in hospital with burns to half of her body after setting herself on fire in 2018 as part of the ‘Fire Challenge’
The counter top where she set herself on fire is shown (left) and her phone (right). She is thought to have used a cherry scented Bath and Body Works spray to douse herself
Within minutes of her mother leaving the girls alone, there was a ‘loud explosion’ and Timiyah became engulfed in flames.
Her stepfather put her in the bath and immediately began spraying water on her body while her mother tore off her burning clothes.
Timiyah was put on a ventilator in intensive care and bandaged from head to her knees.