A woman went viral on TikTok after nearly burning down her home—because of a brownie and a microwave. Kyndall Zachary (@kyndallzachary) said she microwaved a brownie for too long. When her house began to fill with smoke, she did everything she thought she was supposed to: ran water over the charred paper plate, aired out the space, and tried to move on.
But later that night, multiple fire trucks showed up at her home. The freak incident stunned viewers, many of whom praised Zachary’s quick thinking and said the same thing could’ve happened to them. As of Saturday, her video had racked up more than 9.5 million views.
What Happened?
Zachary explained that she accidentally microwaved the brownie for two minutes instead of 20 seconds. Things escalated quickly.
At 10:05pm, she filmed the plate smoking inside the microwave. By 10:15pm, her house was full of smoke.
By 11pm, firefighters were on the scene. Zachary recorded herself standing outside as fire trucks pulled up to her home. Visibly stunned, she documented the firefighters heading in and the aftermath of what was left of both the kitchen and the brownie.
At 1:08am, she briefly returned inside. The kitchen was destroyed and coated in ash.
“Everything was fine when I went to bed… until I heard the beeping,” she captioned the clip. “The guilt is eating me alive, and last night just keeps playing over and over in my head. God is the sole reason my brother, dogs, and I all made it out safe and unharmed.”
So, How Exactly Did The Plate Catch On Fire?
In a follow-up video, Zachary said she wasn’t familiar with her new microwave and left the brownie unattended while feeding her dogs. When she returned and noticed the burning smell, she found the paper plate on fire. She ran it under water in the sink and thought the danger was over.
She tossed the plate in the trash but noted that “oxygen could still get in there.” That wasn’t the only concern. She also mentioned earlier in the night, she’d spilled paprika while cooking and used a paper towel to clean it up. That towel ended up in the same trash can.
Trying to clear out the lingering smoke, she opened the front and back doors and turned on fans. After about 30 minutes, she said things seemed fine—aside from a smoky smell. But shortly after, she heard a beeping sound she didn’t recognize.
Leaving her bedroom, she saw “an orange glow” and “a ton of smoke” pouring from the kitchen.
She immediately alerted her brother, grabbed the dogs, and called 911.
“The house is already filled with smoke at this point,” she said. “I was having a panic attack while this was happening.”
Zachary said a fire truck arrived within a minute, and the fire was out in 10.
“The soot is everywhere,” she added. “There’s smoke damage and water damage.”
Despite taking what she thought were the right steps—soaking the plate, airing the place out—Zachary said she never expected it to escalate this far.
“I have nightmares already,” she said. “It replayed in my head every day. … I thought I did what I was supposed to do.”
When Putting Out Flames Backfires
Pouring water on a burning plate might seem like the right move, but it can make things worse—especially if there’s any grease or oil involved. When water hits a grease fire, it sinks beneath the oil, instantly turns into steam, and causes the oil to splatter and explode. That can spread the fire in seconds.
Certain metals can also react with water when they’re hot, releasing flammable hydrogen gas. Even steam can trigger a chemical reaction with metals like aluminum or iron, which—while not as explosive as oil—can still create a serious fire risk.
So what should you do if a plate catches fire? First, don’t pour water on it. If it’s on a stove, turn off the burner right away. If it’s safe, cover the plate with a lid or cookie sheet to cut off the oxygen. For small grease fires, tossing on baking soda or salt can help smother the flames. And it’s always smart to have a fire extinguisher nearby—specifically one that’s made for kitchen fires.
If the fire is getting out of hand, don’t try to be a hero. Get out, shut the kitchen door behind you, and call 911. And next time, let hot plates or pans cool all the way down before rinsing them. It’s a small step that could help avoid a big disaster.
@kyndallzachary Everything was fine when I went to bed… until I heard the beeping. the guilt is eating me alive and last night just keeps playing over and over in my head. God is the sole reason my brother, dogs and I all made it out safe and unharmed. #housefire #housefiresurvivor #fire #trauma
Fear Unlocked
Zachary’s story struck a nerve, with many viewers admitting they had no idea burnt food could pose such a serious risk—and thanking her for the heads-up.
“Had no clue this could happen, think of how many people you just educated on how to handle burnet food so they don’t get the same outcome,” one wrote.
“Wait… tossing burnt food in the trash is dangerous?!? I’m glad you shared your experience bc I’d have done the same thing,” said another.
“I never even considered that throwing away burnt food could start a fire,” a third added. “I’m really sorry this happened to you!”
Some chimed in with tips they’d learned to prevent this exact situation.
“ALWAYS RUN WATER OVER YOUR BURNT FOOD BEFORE THROWING IT OUT,” one person warned.
“If you burn anything and it’s smoking, put it in an oven safe pan into a cold oven and there it in there until the smoke dissipates, starve the flame from oxygen,” said another.
One woman shared what her dad taught her: “If I burnt food, just leave it out to cool down, because of this, I assume. You really never know what could happen or where it could all go wrong.”
To this, Zachary replied, “You truly never know.”
BroBible has reached out to Zachary via TikTok direct message.