In a bizarre — and nearly tragic — incident that’s now gone viral, a North Carolina firefighter’s dog managed to start a fire in his own home after chewing on a lithium-ion battery, proving once again that today’s “green tech” isn’t as safe as the eco-left wants us to believe.
The dog, a playful pup named Colton, was apparently gnawing on a battery when it sparked and ignited a rug inside the Chapel Hill home of firefighter David Sasser. Luckily, the fire fizzled out before doing major damage — but not before sending a powerful warning about the dangers of these increasingly common batteries, which are found in everything from electric cars to e-bikes to smartphones.
Sasser, a veteran firefighter, was stunned when he received the alert. “My heart sank,” he said. “I had no idea what was going on. I had no clue what it could possibly be and came home to find that the rug had burned up.”
Fortunately, because Sasser was nearby, the blaze never got out of control. “Thankfully, it pretty much fizzled out because of the rug and because we were home so quickly,” he said. “The rug was the only thing we lost.”
Still, the situation could have easily turned catastrophic — a reality not lost on local fire officials. Durham Fire Chief Robert Zoldos explained the growing problem with lithium-ion batteries, especially as they become more common in homes and vehicles. “What we are really concerned about as a fire department is how they are disposed of at the end of their life,” Zoldos said. “If not, it can lead to some very bad circumstances.”
He added a few common-sense precautions that should serve as a wake-up call for consumers. “When you’re done charging them, you have to really pay attention and unplug them,” he warned. “You have to make sure you store them where they can’t get broken or cracked or chewed on by a dog, and when you’re done with them, they have to be disposed of properly.”
After the close call, Sasser says he’s learned his lesson. “We learned to be really aware of things in our home and to operate them safely,” he said — an understatement, considering his own firefighting background.
But the issue isn’t limited to one dog or one home. Across the country, lithium-ion battery fires have become a growing menace. Just last year in Tulsa, Oklahoma, another dog sparked a house fire after chewing through a cellphone battery, setting off flames that tore through the living room. The pets inside narrowly escaped through a doggy door.
Tulsa Fire Department spokesman Andy Little explained at the time that 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 gases, and even lead to explosions.”
It’s yet another example of how the rush toward “sustainable” tech — powered by batteries made in China and mined with slave labor — has created new risks in everyday American homes.
In the end, it wasn’t an EV or an e-scooter that ignited this time — just a curious dog. But for millions of households now relying on lithium power, this incident should serve as a fiery reminder: when it comes to these batteries, one wrong bite can literally spark disaster.
