Disturbing footage from the US: Students burst into flames inside a fraternity circle

Viral footage from Ohio shows two young men, affiliated with the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, as their clothes catch fire inside a circle of onlookers. They were taken to a hospital with burns in stable condition. The university launched an investigation and suspended the chapter's activities. The circumstances of the incident remain unclear.

Viral footage from Ohio, USA, shows two young men affiliated with the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity as their clothes catch fire inside a circle of onlookers. The incident occurred on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at a residential complex near the Ohio State University campus in Columbus. The video shows the young men running in panic as some onlookers laugh and others try to help. They were taken by private vehicle to a hospital with burns, and their condition is stable. Police only learned of the incident the following day due to the video. The university launched an investigation and suspended the chapter's activities. The fraternity's CEO, Steve Mitchell, stated that the organization takes the incident seriously and is cooperating with authorities. The circumstances of the incident remain unclear, but the fraternity was previously described in a 2013 Bloomberg investigation as the "deadliest" due to nine deaths related to dangerous hazing rituals between 2006 and 2013.