Firefighter’s dog in US sets owner’s house ablaze after chewing on rechargeable battery
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In the video, the dog named Colton is seen in the living room chewing on the battery when it suddenly emits smoke and bursts into flames.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM CHAPEL HILL FIRE DEPARTMENT/FACEBOOK
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A mischievous family dog in the United States accidentally set its owners’ house in North Carolina on fire after he chewed on a lithium-ion battery, which was not safely stored away after charging.
The fire was small and did not spread.
“Thankfully, (the dog) wasn’t injured, and other than some smoke damage and a ruined rug, the house is fine,” the Chapel Hill Fire Department said in an Oct 13 Facebook post.
It was not clear when the fire occurred, but the fire department used the incident to remind the public about the importance of storing and discarding rechargeable batteries safely.
A video of the viral incident that it posted on Oct 13 was shared over 10,000 times, and it received more than 22,000 reactions as at Oct 17.
In the video, the dog named Colton is seen in the living room chewing on the battery when it suddenly emits smoke and bursts into flames.
“(Batteries) store a lot of energy in a small place, from power tools and headphones, to laptops and smart watches. If overcharged or damaged, these batteries can overheat, start a fire, or explode,” the department said.
The dog found the rechargeable battery when his owners were not at home, and started playing with it, it said.
“Colton was able to get the battery, break its protective features by chewing on it, and ended up causing a fire,” the fire department said in the Facebook post.
Colton’s owner, Mr David Sasser, a firefighter in the Chapel Hill Fire Department, said he received an alert from his security system about 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 told local news outlet WRAL News.
“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.”
Despite his misadventure, “good boy” Colton still received lots of love from firefighters, according to a follow-up video posted by the department on Oct 16.
Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in electronic devices such as smartphones, laptops and electric vehicles due to their high energy density, lightweight design and long lifespan.
The US National Fire Protection Association has reminded people to store their lithium batteries at room temperature, away from pets, children, and anything that can catch fire.
