You have to see this! Dog chewing on lithium-ion battery device causes fire inside home

UH-OH — A North Carolina fire department is reminding others about lithium-ion battery safety after the assistant fire chief’s dog got his paws on a lithium-ion battery device and started a fire.

The Chapel Hill Fire Department shared a Facebook post last week with a video, which has since gone viral, of the incident.

“Colton is a good boy, but he counter-surfed while his humans (a CHFD family) were away and got hold of a device with a lithium-ion battery,” the post reads.

Video shows David Sasser’s dog in the living room area of the home where he was chewing on the battery. He immediately backs up as soon as the device begins to smoke.

Within seconds, the device explodes and a fire ignites on the rug. Colton runs up the stairs and the smoke detector starts chirping.

The department said the battery Colton got off the counter was charged and unplugged when finished. They also said it wasn’t under any recalls, but it wasn’t stored safely.

“We want to remind you how important it is to safely charge, store, and use lithium-ion batteries,” The Chapel Hill Fire Department stated.

They said in another post, “What happened to him serves as a reminder of how important it is to safely store and discard lithium-ion batteries. They 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.”

Luckily, Colton wasn’t injured and the house was fine other than some smoke damage and a ruined rug.

“And yes, he now safely hangs out in a crate when his humans are away!” the department wrote.

More information on lithium-ion battery safety can be found by clicking here.