08/25/2026
A businessman in Turkey suffered serious burns after attempting to recreate the so-called "Mpemba effect" for a social media video during freezing winter weather.
Rasit Yildirim, from the central Turkish city of Sivas, ventured outdoors as temperatures dropped to around -20°C (-4°F), hoping to capture the dramatic moment when boiling water appears to instantly turn into a cloud of ice crystals after being thrown into extremely cold air. The popular winter experiment has become a recurring trend on social media, with countless videos showcasing the striking visual effect.
However, the stunt quickly went wrong.
According to Yildirim, a sudden gust of wind and a loss of balance caused the boiling water to fall back onto his body instead of dispersing safely into the air. He suffered severe burns to his arms and back and required emergency medical treatment.
"I couldn't keep my balance, and the boiling water fell onto me," Yildirim recalled after the incident. What was intended to be an eye-catching online video instead ended with a painful trip to the emergency room.
Following his recovery, Yildirim urged others not to imitate the challenge without understanding the risks. He warned that boiling water remains extremely dangerous regardless of how cold the surrounding air may be and that unexpected wind conditions or small mistakes can cause life-changing injuries within seconds.
Experts also caution that while the Mpemba effect refers to the observation that hot water can sometimes freeze faster than colder water under certain conditions, the dramatic "throw boiling water into freezing air" demonstration involves complex physics and is not guaranteed to be safe.
They advise people to avoid attempting the experiment without proper precautions, emphasizing that no social media post is worth risking serious burns.