Ruh-roh!
Wild video captured the moment a rambunctious canine unknowingly sunk his teeth into a lithium-ion battery — sparking a fire that quickly swept through an Oklahoma home.
The white pup can be seen gnawing on the rechargeable cell phone battery as a second brown dog and a black cat unwittingly sit nearby, pet cam video shared by the Tulsa Fire Department last week shows.
Suddenly, the battery spews small purple sparks, sending the trio of animals springing toward safety.
It took a matter of seconds for the damaged lithium-ion battery to explode into a fiery blaze that was further fueled by the dog bed it was left lying on.
The two dogs stared — and even barked — at the growing inferno before giving up hope that their growls could stop the intruder from taking over the home.
Fortunately, the three animals escaped through a doggie door and their human family quickly followed.
The Tulsa Fire Department extinguished the flames, but not before the house suffered significant damage.
The fire occurred in May, but firefighters shared the video last week to spread the word on the dangers of lithium-ion battery usage.
“Lithium-ion batteries are known for storing a significant amount of energy in a compact space. However, when this energy is released uncontrollably, it can generate heat, produce flammable and toxic gases, and even lead to explosions.” Andy Little of the TFD said.
“These incidents can occur due to various reasons, such as exposure to extreme heat, physical damage to the battery overcharging, or even using incompatible charging equipment … Many individuals keep these batteries within their homes for convenience, unaware of the potential dangers they pose.”
Tulsa firefighters urged homeowners to keep the batteries out of reach of children and pets and to properly dispose of damaged ones at recycling centers.
