As the "Birthday fire breathing challenge" has been trending on social media (SNS) lately, a Chinese actor suffered a serious facial burn while attempting the challenge.
According to reports by foreign media including The Sun on the 10th (local time), Chinese actor Wang Tianyu, 26, was injured while filming a video of blowing fire from the mouth toward the candles on a birthday cake.
In video of the moment, Wang Tianyu filled his mouth with high-proof alcohol with an ABV of 96, then immediately forcefully expelled the liquid he had held in his mouth toward the candles on the cake. The flames then grew out of control, and, following the liquid expelled from Wang's mouth, fire spread to his face and around his neck. Notably, blue flames—observed when temperatures exceed 1,500 degrees—appeared in the footage.
Wang Tianyu suffered severe burn injuries from the incident and was taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment. He reportedly attempted to join the trend of the "Birthday fire breathing challenge," blowing fire in front of a cake to celebrate his birthday, when the accident occurred.
Wang Tianyu said, "When I searched on SNS, there were clearly no warnings to watch out for injuries," adding, "It looked cool, and everyone said it was fine, so I thought it was safe." He also noted, "It's irresponsible to hide the 'dangers' behind a trend."