TikToker Calls 911 About Apartment Fire, Discovers He Was Fooled
“See something, say something” is an age-old New York City adage frequently promoted by local authorities. One TikTok user did just that when he saw a massive flame burning inside an apartment a few buildings away, calling 911 and having firetrucks show up prepared to put out the fire. But when they arrived, he got a surprise he wasn’t exactly expecting.
“The craziest thing just happened. I saw a fire in a building and called 911,” he started off his story, showing video of a massive flame in the middle of an apartment on the opposite corner of the street. Within minutes, two massive firetrucks showed up blaring their sirens. He then explained what actually happened when the firefighters arrived.
“It turns out it was just an eight-foot TV with a Yule log on it,” he said. “So I ran down, I was like ‘This is what I saw!’ And they were like ‘Yeah, bro, it was a Yule log. What are you doing?'”
What would you have done? #fire #firefighter #nycfire #fdny
Projecting a crackling fireplace on a TV isn’t exactly an uncommon practice. It can often add a sense of warmth—figuratively and perhaps even physically by placebo—to a space, especially in those cold winter months. It may not have the same effect as a real, working fireplace with a chimney, but it’s as close as some people, including many New Yorkers, will ever get.
Given the dangerous nature of apartment fires happening when people aren’t home, it was probably the right decision for the TikToker to call firefighters when he saw the huge flames. Still, as winter approaches, a mix-up like this could very well happen again as people look to warm up their house with some digital heat.
