In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a house fire was accidentally sparked by a dog who bit into a lithium-ion battery, local fire officials reported.
The Tulsa Fire Department recently released striking footage from the May incident, showing a portable cellphone battery suddenly igniting and bursting into flames. The footage captures two dogs and a cat sprinting for safety as the fire quickly spread.
Although the home suffered significant damage, all three pets managed to escape through a dog door and were unharmed, according to Tulsa Fire Department spokesperson Andy Little.
“Had there been no means of escape — or if the family had been asleep — the outcome could have been much worse,” Little said.
Little emphasized that lithium-ion battery fires have become “a critical issue facing fire departments nationwide.”
These batteries, commonly used in everyday devices like cellphones, store a large amount of energy in a compact space. When that energy is released uncontrollably, it can generate intense heat, release flammable and toxic gases, and even cause explosions, Little explained.
Several factors can lead to lithium-ion battery fires, including extreme heat exposure, physical damage, overcharging, and the use of incompatible chargers, experts warn.
Little urged the public to handle these batteries with care — and to always keep them out of reach of children and pets.
For safe disposal, he advised bringing lithium-ion batteries to a designated recycling center or hazardous waste facility rather than tossing them in the trash, where they could be damaged and ignite a fire.
“Let’s work together to prevent lithium-ion battery-related fires and keep our homes and communities safe,” Little said.
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