Dangerous TikTok trend sees students set their laptops on fire

A new dangerous TikTok trend has resulted in multiple high schools being evacuated in Connecticut.

In the videos, students are filming themselves as they jam items such as pencils and springs into the charging ports of their Chromebooks, all to try and set them on fire as part of the trend.

Consequently, Newington High School had to be evacuated last week when smoke filled the classroom due to the trend, and firefighters were called to tackle the problem.

"On Thursday, I was alerted by both my director of security and high school principal that we had a Chromebook that was smoking,” Dr. Maureen Brummett, superintendent of Newington Public Schools, said, as per NBC News.

She added that after an investigation where students were quizzed, it became evident that the damage to the laptop was "done intentionally".

“That it wasn’t a malfunctioning Chromebook, but rather a student had intentionally done things to it that caused it to smoke and eventually melt."

Brummett also noted how expensive Chromebooks are to replace, and any intentional damage will not be covered by the school's insurance program, with the responsibility falling on the student who caused the purposeful damage to replace it themselves.

DJ Zordon, a Newington fire marshal, recalled to the news outlet what the classroom looked like upon arrival.

“The room at the time of the fire was filling with smoke. We did see video from students…and that’s one of the biggest things. The batteries that are essentially catching on fire, once they burn, they’re producing this toxic smoke."

Zordon added: "It’s more than just a trend. It causes a lot of disruption. The school has to be evacuated, firefighters respond to the fire house and subsequently to the scene, it takes resources from any other emergencies that might be happening at that time."

Meanwhile, Cromwell Fire Chief Jason Brade confirmed the school was evacuated by the time the fire crew arrived, as the hallways were "filling with smoke".

The laptop found in the classroom was "pretty much out, but on fire at one point".

Luckily, no one was hurt from the incident as Cromwell Fire Marshal Harold Holmes explained the state the laptop was in and how people could have been injured.

“The back cover where the battery cover was melted away, and the battery was smoking,” he said.

“The small ones like cell phones and laptops, it can cause an explosion. It could have potentially burned somebody. Shrapnel could have hit other people if it exploded.”

This isn't the only high school in the area where this has happened, since on Monday at both Derby High School and Cromwell High School experienced similar incidents.

Currently, investigations are being carried out across the districts, and a warning of the trend's dangers has been issued to students and their families.

Indy100 has reached out to TikTok for comment.

Elsewhere, 'I'm so hungry I could eat...' TikTok trend explained, and restaurant staff claims Kylie Jenner left 4 per cent tip on $500 bill.

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