An ironic situation occurred involving the pet of David Sasser, an assistant to the chief of the local fire department. His 5-year-old dog, Colton, was left alone at home in North Carolina, United States, when a fire broke out.
Although his owner fought fires day after day, he neglected safety in his own home.
“Colton is a good boy, but he climbed onto the counter while his humans were away”
David left a highly flammable lithium-ion battery within reach. Curious, Coltón picked it up and began biting it as if it were a toy. The pressure from his teeth damaged the battery’s safety mechanisms, and it began releasing smoke onto the living room carpet.
David was putting out fires, unaware that the flames were in his own home and caused by his own irresponsibility.
The security camera captured the exact moment Colton jumped away, just before the flames engulfed the carpet.
The alarm system sent an alert to Sasser’s phone, but he had no idea what was happening until he got home. The fire went out on its own without spreading beyond the carpet, and Colton was not injured. The fire department itself shared the video as a reminder: even those who fight fires are not exempt from properly storing a lithium battery in their own home.