In a viral video, Colton, a dog, chewed on a lithium-ion battery, sparking a home fire that burned a rug. Owner David Sasser, a Chapel Hill firefighter, rushed back home after an alert describing how, “[My] heart sank… the rug had burned up.”
For a moment, all seemed lost, but eventually the blaze fizzled out quickly. Offering context, Chief Robert Zoldos warned of rising hazards and described how Improper disposal “can lead to… bad circumstances.” Sasser issued a solemn warning and said he had learned a lesson.
In any case, David Sasser, a firefighter and Colton’s owner, described his reaction to the fire. “[My] heart sank. I had no idea what was going on. I had no clue what it could possibly be and came home to find that the rug had burned up,” he said.
Providing more context, he revealed that the damage was minimal. Describing the burn, Sasser noted, “Thankfully, it pretty much fizzled out because of the rug and because we were home so quickly. [The rug] was the only thing we lost.”
Adding another view, Durham Fire Chief Robert Zoldos explained the issues with these batteries. He noted that, “What we are really concerned about as a fire department is how they are disposed of at the end of their life. If not, it can lead to some very bad circumstances.”
Offering more words on the subject, the chief said, “When you’re done charging them, you have to really pay attention and unplug them. You have to make sure you store them where they can’t get broken or cracked or chewed on by a dog, and then when you’re done with them, they have to be disposed of in a specific way.”
Rounding out the story, David Sasse explained that he had learned a valuable lesson with this near miss. “We learned to be really aware of things in our home and to operate them safely,” he declared after the fire was safely extinguished.
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Bizarrely enough, this is not the only clip of a dog starting a fire in this way. According to the AP, last year, A Tulsa dog chewed a cell phone lithium-ion battery, igniting cushions and severely damaging a home, as shown in a video that shows sparks flying as pets watch flames grow. Thankfully, all of the animals escaped via a pet door. Reacting to the clip, Fire Department Spokesman Andy Little reiterated the danger of improperly used batteries.
Watch the clip here:
In a Facebook post, Little broke down the details. He noted that [The battery the dog was chewing] “was intended for charging cell phones.” Additionally, he described how lithium-ion batteries can store “a significant amount of energy in a compact space,” but when that energy “is released uncontrollably, it can generate heat, produce flammable and toxic gases, and even lead to explosions.” Wrapping up his post, he described how batteries can become dangerous when they are “damaged, overcharged, or exposed to extreme heat.”
Featured Image from embedded video