Video shows dog chewing on a lithium-ion battery and sparking house fire in Oklahoma

TULSA, Okla. — A dog chewing on a lithium-ion battery caused a large house fire in Oklahoma. Firefighters have collected video footage of the moment the sparks started flying to show the potential dangers of these batteries.

The footage taken from the home and posted last week on the Tulsa Fire Department’s Facebook page shows the dog chewing on his favorite chew toy on one of two pillows on a living room floor. Another dog can be seen on a couch and a cat on the floor as the dog bites it and sparks shoot from the battery.

The dog retreats and soon the pillows are ablaze, both dogs watching the growing fire at one point.

The Tulsa home was badly damaged in the May fire, according to fire officials, but the two dogs and cat were able to escape through a pet door.

Fire department spokesman Andy Little said in the statement that the battery the dog chewed on was intended to charge 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 gases and even cause explosions.” He said the batteries could potentially become dangerous if damaged, overcharged or exposed to extreme heat.

Luckily for the pets, Little said, they were all unharmed.