BURKE COUNTY, N.C. (AP) — Officials in North Carolina have identified the source of a fire that occurred inside a vehicle in Burke County: a children’s book.
The incident happened on a Sunday when a “button battery” from a child’s book ignited, causing a car seat to catch fire. Thankfully, the family had exited the vehicle before the flames erupted, as indicated by the George Hildebran Fire & Rescue Department.
According to Destiny Williams, who spoke with WSOC, she and her daughter Misty returned home from church that day and went inside their house. Moments later, she noticed smoke billowing from their car.
A neighbor stepped in to extinguish the fire using a garden hose, according to WSOC. Once the flames were under control, the fire marshal was notified of the incident.
Pressley Williams, the girl’s father, expressed his fears to WBTV, saying, “I often think about what could have happened. If they had been in the car, I could have lost both my wife and daughter.”
Investigators from the Burke County Fire Marshal’s Office discovered that one of the many books found near the damaged car seat contained a lithium battery, which is known to be a fire hazard if it overheats.
