Video posted to the Tulsa Fire Department’s Facebook page last week shows the dog chewing on a power bank of batteries on a cushion in the living room when sparks start flying. The dog recoils and the cushions catch fire.

X [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JtGPqgi3dQ[/embed]

The Tulsa-area home was heavily damaged in a fire in May, but the dog escaped through a pet door, the fire department said.

Fire department spokesman Andy Little said the battery the dog was chewing on was used to charge a mobile phone. He said lithium-ion batteries can store “a significant amount of energy in a small space” but when this energy is “released uncontrollably, it can generate heat, produce flammable and toxic gases, and even explode”.

Batteries can become dangerous when damaged, overcharged or exposed to extreme temperatures, he said.

Hong Hanh (according to AP)