While watching a National Day fireworks display with her family on Aug. 9, a young girl apparently suffered a first-degree burn on her face, which put a damper on the festivities.

The child's mother, who suspected her daughter had been hit by a "fireworks spark", posted about their unpleasant experience in a TikTok video on Aug. 12.

As of Aug 14, the video posted by user "rsutopia" has been viewed more than 73,000 times.

@rsutopia We were traumatized and ran around to find a medic. A big event but the medic station is unknown by many. People seem in disbelief hearing my explanation. No other casualties reported .. I hope that no one else was hurt , especially children 💔 Take a look around .. what could have hurt my girl other than the firework. It could have been worse as "the firework" hit near her eye . Alhamdulillah it's didn't 😭😭😭 #ndp2023 #ndp2023🇸🇬 #ndp #firework #sgtiktok #sgfyp #sgnews🇸🇬 #sadday #fireworkshowgonewrong #singaporetiktok #sgtik #trauma #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp ♬ original sound - 𝐃𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐡 𝐀𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 💜

Likely took place at Tampines Hub

While the user did not specify the location the video was taken, it was likely in the vicinity of Our Tampines Hub, based on images from Google Street View.

Our Tampines Hub is one of the five heartland locations where fireworks were set off on Aug. 9 to celebrate Singapore's 58th birthday.

"Shouted in pain" during fireworks display

The girl's mother said her daughter was the one taking the video of the fireworks that evening.

The family also stood "far from the safe range" of the fireworks display, which apparently had been clearly demarcated.

At some point during the display, the girl "shouted in pain" before turning her face to the ground, which shocked her parents.

"We were traumatized and ran around to find a medic," the girl's mother said.

Security guards passed them wet tissues to treat the injury, before directing them to an ambulance stationed nearby.

Medic confirmed she had a "first-degree burn"

There, one of the medics confirmed that the girl had suffered a "first-degree burn" on her face.

This refers to a superficial burn involving only the outermost layer of skin, according to the Singapore Red Cross website.

Symptoms include redness, swelling, tenderness and pain.

The family was given a water bottle and gauze to treat the girl's burn, and her father also bought aloe vera from a nearby pharmacy to ease the pain.

Medics then checked the girl's condition before leaving in the ambulance.

In the video, an orange colouration could be seen on the girl's cheeks, along with a reddish patch on her forehead above her right eye.

This was accompanied with a "burning sensation on her skin", the girl's mother wrote.

She also indicated a distinct orange streak on the ground, where her daughter had been standing, as possible evidence that she could have been "hit by a fireworks spark".

According to the girl's mother, there were no other injuries reported.

However, other bystanders did not believe her explanation that her daughter had been burned by a "firework spark".

Mothership has reached out to the mother on TikTok for comment.

Responses

In the comments, many users expressed their well-wishes for the girl, and said they hoped that she would recover soon.

Others commented that the family was "suay" (unlucky), and that they could consider watching the fireworks from home next time.

Can fireworks cause burns?

Burns are the most common injury that can be caused by fireworks.

The most frequently injured body parts are the hands, head, neck, and eyes.

For instance, unsafe use of fireworks has sent thousands of people to hospital in the U.S. every year, according to CBS News.

However, since the Dangerous Fireworks Act was passed in 1972 prohibiting the sale and use of dangerous fireworks, there have been no injuries due to fireworks reported in Singapore.

In a Facebook post by Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen in 2019, Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) engineers shared about the safety precautions taken prior to the execution of NDP fireworks displays.

For instance, they shared how they would fire off test fireworks to check their effective range before implementing safety distances for the actual event.

That said, during a New Year's Day fireworks display in 2022, a stray projectile hit an Ubi HDB flat window.

Although no injuries were reported, the fireworks display was cut short.

Top screenshots from rsutopia on TikTok.