Dog starts Oklahoma house fire by chewing on lithium-ion battery

TULSA, Okla. — A dog chomping on a lithium-ion battery sparked a serious house fire in Oklahoma, and video of the moment the sparks began to fly has been enlisted by a fire department to show the potential dangers of those batteries.

The footage taken from the home and posted last week on the Tulsa Fire Department's Facebook page shows the dog gnawing on its choice of a chew toy atop one of two cushions set on the floor of a living room. Another dog can be seen on a couch and a cat on the floor as the dog bites down and sparks begin to shoot from the battery.

The dog pulls back and soon the cushions are ablaze. Both dogs watch the growing fire at one point.

The fire department said the Tulsa-area home was significantly damaged by the fire in May but the two dogs and the cat escaped through a pet door.

Fire department spokesman Andy Little said in the post that the battery the dog was chewing was intended for charging cell phones. He said 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 gasses and even lead to explosions.” He said the batteries can possibly become dangerous when they are damaged, overcharged or exposed to extreme heat.

Fortunately for the pets, Little said, all escaped the flames uninjured.

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