Second Lexington school reports incident of ‘laptop fire’ social media challenge

A second Fayette County school, and another school in nearby Jessamine County, are reporting incidents of a national social media trend known as the “laptop fire challenge.”

Students attempting the challenge try to short their school-issued Chromebook or laptop computer, leading the computer to potentially catch fire.

Bryan Station Middle School Principal Robin Ghant said a student tried the challenge on Friday.

“This event temporarily disrupted the classroom learning environments for some of our 8th-grade students and staff. As a result, they have been learning in alternate locations within the building,” said Ghant.

The incident came one day after students and staff at Southern Middle School in Fayette County were evacuated and the fire department was called after a student attempted the challenge.

“This is a serious offense. Please speak with your children at home and reinforce this behavior is criminal and not acceptable at school,” Ghant told parents.

In Jessamine County, school officials said in a message to families that they were recently notified about the challenge, which encourages students to intentionally damage school-issued computers by inserting pencil lead or other objects into the charging port, causing devices to overheat, smoke, or catch fire.

“While this is not a widespread issue in our district at this time, we have experienced several incidents, including an incident today at West Jessamine Middle School that led to a school evacuation due to smoke,” a Friday message from Jessamine schools operations manager J. Matthew Simpson said.

Simpson said parents should emphasize the consequences of intentionally damaging school property, which may include disciplinary action, financial liability, and possible criminal charges and legal consequences.

Perry County Schools officials said in a Facebook post Wednesday the district had seven Chromebooks damaged by students attempting the trend.

“Please remind your student how dangerous these trends can be, and the financial consequences of destroying a $435 Chromebook,” the post said. “Additionally, local enforcement will be notified of any damage to school district property.”

This story was originally published May 12, 2025 at 2:42 PM.