A TikTok creator in Pakistan has been charged with starting a wildfire.
Humaira Asghar, known as “Dolly” to her 11.5 million followers, has been charged by Pakistani police with setting a forest fire while shooting a TikTok video near Islamabad, according to VICE.
“The area [filmed] is part of Margalla Hills National Park, which has reported multiple incidents of wildfires recently which have damaged the ecosystem,” the police noted in the complaint filed against Asghar. She was charged under the country’s environmental protection laws.
CONGRESS ASKS BIG TECH TO PRESERVE SUSPECTED RUSSIAN WAR CRIMES FOOTAGE
In a statement released by her assistant, Asghar said that she did not start the fire and there was “no harm in making videos.”
This is a disturbing & disastrous trend on Tik Tok! Young people desperate 4 followers are setting fire to our forests during this hot & dry season! In Australia it is lifetime imprisonment for those who start wildfires. We need to introduce similar legislation @WildlifeBoard pic.twitter.com/RGMXnbG9f1
— Rina S Khan Satti (@rinasaeed) May 17, 2022
The influencer posted the clip with the caption, “Fire erupts where I am,” according to Al-Jazeera. The clip has since been removed.
A second video purportedly showed Asghar standing in front of a fire set by a man who claims to have started it to clear the forest of snakes, the outlet reported.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Pakistan is facing a notable heatwave, with some regions reporting temperatures as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit, leaving large swaths of the country highly susceptible to wildfires.
Asghar is not the first to get arrested after bringing a fiery element to her TikToks. A man was arrested by authorities in Abbottabad on May 17 for setting part of a nearby forest on fire for a TikTok video.