“Gen Z is so unserious”: Dunkin’ Donuts customer ignites debate after putting out a fire staff ignored

A viral TikTok showing a customer putting out a small toaster fire at Dunkin’ Donuts has set off an online debate, less about the flames themselves and more about how the staff responded. In the clip, employees appear largely unconcerned by the blaze, with one even attempting to swat it with a broom.

Fire! at the Dunkin’ Donuts

On June 15, Cristina Conklin (@nurse_xtina129) posted a TikTok video showing a bit of flame from the upper pastry toaster licking up toward the ceiling at her donut stop. Staff behind the counter appeared largely unconcerned, going about their business as the fire burned.

One young donut peddler finally took a broom and waved the handle through the flame a couple times, eliciting queries of “why” from a coworker. She shrugged, put the broom aside, and proceeded to take something out of the lower toaster.

“Apparently there’s a very not serious fire in Dunkin right now,” Conklin observed. “Nobody seems to care.”

@nurse_xtina129 So I put a fire out today at my local Dunkin’ Donuts @Dunkin’ 💪🏼 thank god everyone was ok! ☕️🍩 #fy #dunkindonuts #firesafety #PASS #smallfire #viralvideo ♬ original sound – Cristina 🆘🇺🇸

She then asked if they had a fire extinguisher, which all retail establishments are required to store. Another staff member located it near the fire, and Conklin set up her phone, took it from the employee, and showed them how to use it. This worked very well to put out the fire and also created a cloud of white in the entire corner of the shop.

“You’re gonna have to call the fire department,” said Conklin. “You’re welcome.”

Her video gained over 785,000 views and spread to Instagram via ABC 7.

“I saw a fire with 3 teens not knowing what to do at Dunkin when I went to get my coffee,” she told the local outlet, “and I helped them put it out with a fire extinguisher!”

Conklin lost a nail, but was otherwise unharmed.

Should she have used a fire extinguisher?

The video set off a debate across social media about whether or not Conklin did the right thing. Fire bad, obviously, but the substance in fire extinguishers is also toxic if ingested, and she used it in a place that sells food.

One Redditor on the r/confidentlyincorrect forum claimed to be a Dunkin’ toaster repair tech and pointed out that the use of the extinguished would have forced them to close the shop the rest of the day, at least, until someone could come and clean everything.

“Using the extinguisher on this probably shut the store down for the rest of the day,” wrote u/SaltyDucklingReturns. “Literally just pull the product out with tongs, throw it in the sink, and keep on with your day.”

“The cost for me to clean and sanitize this, and everything f*cking remotely adjacent it is about 10x the cost of that toaster. Not including all the lost product and profit.”

Another Redditor, this one claiming to be a Dunkin’ manager, said that these fires happen quite frequently.

“Hey so I managed a Dunkin for 4 years this sh*t happens all the time,” said u/UnreproducibleSpank. “The toasters they gave us were a**. If a croissant was just barely too tall for that conveyor it would catch on there and burst into flame…it would go out pretty quick, especially if you just blew on it. That’s why nobody seemed to care. Just another day at Dunkin.”

“Crazy everyone is coming for you”

On Instagram, many commenters blamed the situation on Gen Z, surprising no one from that generation. Some acted like the young employees at that shop were incompetent or helpless, while others seemed to think that the entire group just doesn’t care anymore.

“WAVING A BROOM?? Gen Z is effed,” declared doitlike_dee.

“Gen Z is so unserious I can’t,” wrote @n981hp.

They did come of age going to work while the world was on fire, so it makes sense that a little bagel blaze wouldn’t make them flinch.

On her TikTok video, people accused Conklin of overreacting and making a big unnecessary mess. She countered that she’s a nurse, and so her instinct was to eliminate the threat in the safest way possible.

“They’re all like 16. Even the managers are kids there,” said @chefwesleygraham. “Common sense from a chef is put it out and get back to work. Dont call fd, and you used the wrong one lady.”

Others defended Conklin, blaming Dunkin’ for an alleged lack of training—or saying they probably made the staff very happy by shutting the store down for the rest of the day.

“Crazy everyone is coming for you,” wrote @user4878671860797. “When those works [sic] should be trained to know what to do. I think that’s the bigger problem.”

“They were happy to let you use the fire extinguisher so they don’t have to work rest of the day!” @user7118084412034 joked.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Dunkin’ Donuts via email and @nurse_xtina129 via TikTok.