A Scottish man has gone viral on TikTok thanks to his incredibly calm reaction to a massive fire blazing extremely close to his home.
Nathan Duffin, whose username is @nduffin03, uploaded the 7-second clip in which the huge blaze towers above his neighborhood and is heard saying, “That’s probably not what you want.”
If you find the Scottish accent difficult to understand, here’s a complete translation of what he says: “See, that probably isn’t good, that. That’s probably not exactly what you want happening out your front door.”
Of course, that was a massive understatement, and TikTok users responded in droves in various humorous ways.
How did TikTok react?
BTD sarcastically acknowledged Nathan’s calmness and said, “Doesn’t look that bad mate no need to panic.” KD.8.2010 echoed Nathan’s understated chill, saying, “Aye maybe no the best situation,” as did Regis, who wrote, “That’s not wit yer wantin I’ll be honest.” Lwazi Tshabalala described Nathan’s words as “understatement of the year! 😂”
Others suggested the inferno’s cause, with Wheels/skid/mark1978/46 commenting, “That’s the last time I have the vindaloo with extra spices.”
Luke Pickavance is sure that “, “someone’s clearly left their phone on charge overnight,” Lizzie is certain that “obviously someone turned on the light in the back of the car,” for bbuckoo it was someone who turned on the “gas tap in a science class,” and the official Deliveroo is sure “it’s a BBQ, chill.”
Another commentator gave a more personal preview as they probably live close to Nathan, as they quipped about still hearing “the explosions n see it from my house bro.”
Others were quick to point out that Nathan’s house still had Christmas lights on the outside, which, of course, was far more important than the threat of a towering inferno. From one shocked to see “christmas lights up in june,” to another advising to “Get your Christmas lights down babe,” the blazing fire lost its significance.
One person criticized Nathan for not providing enough details about the situation, writing, “you put all this up but you don’t write what it’s about.” Nathan cheekily responded, “Almost like I’m no a news outlet and just posted a stupid video.”
Jeffthe BantaBoi29 explained what actually caused the fire, writing, “A battery recycling plant exploded so I mean it wasn’t that bad.” Thanks, Jeff.
The irony of this incident is that battery recycling plants exist to prevent fires starting when people dispose of batteries incorrectly. According to the U.K.’s National Fire Chiefs Council, over 1,200 battery fires started in bin lorries and waste sites in 2023 — a 71% increase from 700 in 2022. This is a highly unfortunate addition to the 2024 statistics. Thankfully, judging by Nathan’s devil-may-care demeanor, the situation didn’t escalate.
