This is horrible. A teenager from North Carolina has been hospitalized with severe burns on his body after attempting a TikTok challenge that went wrong.

According to WRAL, 16-year-old Mason Dark was out with his friends last Sunday when they decided to try and complete a dangerous video challenge on TikTok that involved spaying a can of spray paint into a lighter to create a makeshift flamethrower. But the experiment went awry, as the can exploded suddenly. The teen was then engulfed in flames. OMG! His mom, Holli Dark, recalled to the outlet on Thursday:

“They all heard a big boom, and then Mason came running out and [he] started taking off his shirt.”

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Mason jumped into a river near his home in Wake Forest in order to put out the fire and soothe his pain. But when he emerged from the water, his body sustained some serious injuries. The teenager was rushed to the hospital and remains at the UNC Burn Center in Chapel Hill, where he had surgery. Doctors soon determined that nearly 80 percent of Mason’s body was covered in third-degree burns. Awful. Holli told WRAL:

“[We] come to find out now from the surgery, that he’s got the third-degree burns … it’s like a T in his back and it was from him taking off his shirt, and then it got stuck or something. We did not find out until yesterday that it was actually 76% of his body.”

And now, Holli shared that “he is unrecognizable” as his body is bandaged head to toe, adding:

“The way he looked when those kids saw him when he first came in, to what he looks like now, it’s 100 times different.”

Mason has already undergone several surgeries to get skin grafts and is expected to spend another six months in the burn unit. The family has set up a GoFundMe to cover any medical bills and expenses for his recovery. Mason’s grandmother, Heidi Simpson, shared an update on the fundraiser page on Saturday, revealing that the doctors “want him off the ventilator soon” and his tests for infection have come back “negative” so far. That is amazing update. However, Heidi also noted Mason is still on a ventilator before adding in the post:

“THANK YOU for all your prayers, love, support and the generous donations!”

Our heart breaks for this family. We are wishing Mason a safe and smooth recovery.

[Image via GoFundMe]

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