A dog in Oklahoma started a house fire after chewing through a lithium-ion battery. Photo / Tulsa Fire Department
A dog in Oklahoma started a house fire after chewing through a lithium-ion battery. Photo / Tulsa Fire Department
A US fire department issued a safety warning to pet owners after a home video captured the terrifying moment a dog sparked a house fire.
A family dog from Oklahoma is pictured chewing on a portable power bank intended for charging cellphones in footage released by the Tulsa Fire Department.
The lithium-ion battery explodes, quickly setting alight a mattress the dog was lying on.
Andy Little, the Tulsa Fire Department public information officer, said the two dogs and cat escaped the home uninjured through a dog door.
“The outcome could’ve been much worse if there had been no means of escape or if the family was asleep at the time,” Little said in the video posted to Facebook.
Little urged locals to only use approved chargers for lithium-ion batteries and to abide by manufacturer guidelines.
“They should be disposed of properly at designated recycling centres and never be thrown out in household rubbish bins.”
A dog in Oklahoma started a house fire after chewing through a lithium-ion battery. Photo / Tulsa Fire Department
Earlier this year a Southland family escaped with their lives after their springer spaniel accidentally turned on a stove element, leading to a fire that destroyed their family home in Mataura.
A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesperson said the switch to turn on the element was on the front of the stove, around hip height, so it is thought the dog has knocked it into the on position with its paw when popping up to look for food.
The blaze erupted after a pot of oil sitting on the hot element reached ignition temperature and flames extended into the rangehood filters, which absorb grease particles, and spread the fire rapidly throughout the home.
Senior risk reduction advisor and specialist fire investigator Murray Milne-Maresca said the outcome of this fire could have been far worse if the family did not have smoke alarms.
“We often hear of canines alerting occupants to a fire, but this dog starting a fire highlighted the fact that you just never know how a fire might start in your home.”
