TikTok of heart-shaped fire in Canada gets harsh criticism from BC locals

The couple received harsh criticism for the stunt. Photo / Unsplash, @ashleysmeeeth

A traveller was forced to block her social media accounts from the public and delete posts after a reckless stunt sparked ruthless criticism.

TikTok user Ashley Smeeth quickly amassed millions of views on a video showing her boyfriend create a heart-shaped fire on a Vancouver Island beach in Canada.

“How cute is he tho?” Smeeth wrote in the caption on July 30. Footage showed the couple standing on the beach, surrounded by flammable material shaped like a heart.

Smeeth attempted to delete her posts and make her accounts private but the viral videos had already made headlines. Photo / Facebook, TikTok @ashleysmeeeth

“He said he wanted to do something cute to show how much he loves me, then did this,” read the text overlay, as the man ignited part of the heart, which fully catches fire.

Not only was the stunt dangerous but illegal, breaking a fire ban now in place in the area.

The video, which had up to 2.4 million views, included an automatic warning from TikTok that read: “Participating in this activity could result in you or others getting hurt.”

Smeeth posted a follow-up video to show how the couple escaped the blaze by kicking sand over the fire.

The couple may have seen the stunt as a fiery show of romance (and an attempt to go viral) but the public, and locals especially, didn’t see it that way.

Many Canadians commented on the video to criticise the couple for setting a fire and for boasting about it on social media.

One woman made a TikTok in response, calling the couple out.

“By the way, you’re not allowed to have fires on the beach because since we’re on a provincial park we don’t have access to a lot of emergency vehicles,” she said. “So, if that fire started a forest fire the whole town would actually just go down in flames”.

@hannahtarrant3

#duet with @Ashley Smeeth #touristbelike #pleaserespectnature #fireban #tofinobc #vancouverisland #canada #bc #beachvibes #entittlement #tofino

♬ original sound - Hannah Tarrant

However, Smeeth had already posted about the fire’s “success” on Facebook.

“One million viral on TikTok,” she wrote. “Ya’ll don’t know how long I have been waiting for this day.” Smeeth went on to say a media journalist had contacted her about the video before thanking her boyfriend for having “the best idea ever”.

Smeeth later deleted the Facebook post, but a Twitter user named Tyler Ingram had already shared it on the other social platform.

“When the Province of BC has a fire ban (which includes @tourism_tofino where this happened) but you do it anyway for the ‘likes’,” he wrote.

When the Province of BC has a fire ban ( which includes @tourism_tofino where this happened) but you do it anyway for the “likes” 🤦🏻‍♂️ 🤦🏻‍♂️ @cbcnewsbc pic.twitter.com/G7KDBa3GiM

— Tyler Ingram (@TylerIngram) August 7, 2023

People chimed in, saying they hoped the couple were steeply fined.

One said it wasn’t the first time a tourist had pulled such a stunt.

“I’m sick to death of entitled people that come to the Island that put others at risk with campfires (other) just so they can receive clout on their SM accounts,” they wrote.

“Every summer we worry that some thoughtless person will burn the areas (woods) down where we all live.”

Another said, given the wildfires in Maui, the act was even worse.

“Look at the images from Maui & know that could have happened in Tofino,” they wrote.

Hours later, she blocked the public from being able to view or find her TikTok account.