Overview

• Security camera at firefighter David Sasser's Chapel Hill home captured Colton chewing a device before it smoked and ignited on a rug.
• The Chapel Hill Fire Department said the lithium-ion battery was charged and unplugged, not under recall, but stored unsafely and damaged by chewing.
• Sasser received a security alert and returned to find a burned rug and smoke damage, and the dog was uninjured.
• CHFD and the National Fire Protection Association urged safe charging, storage, use, and proper disposal of lithium-ion batteries.
• Local officials cited rising incidents, including roughly a dozen battery-related fires in Raleigh over the past year and two Durham trash-truck fires tied to improper disposal.