We hear warnings about batteries all the time. We’re supposed to dispose of them in a different way. We’re advised to prevent children from swallowing them. We know of the potential damage they can do when mishandled. Rarely do we think about the dangers batteries can cause while they’re doing exactly what they’re supposed to do.
That’s what happened recently in North Carolina. A button battery inside of a children’s book overheated and caused a car seat to catch on fire.
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The battery was in a push button book.
The George Hildebran Fire Department shared an image of the burned car seat inside of a minivan on its Facebook page, Good Morning America reported. The fire department also showed what was left of the children’s book that was responsible.
It was a "My Little Sound Book" featuring a character from Cocomelon. The push button book, which provides opportunity for interaction, was called JJ’s Potty Time.
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Destiny and her daughter Misty had just gotten out of the car.
Thankfully, the little girl to whom the book belonged was outside of the car when her safety seat caught fire. Misty and her mother, Destiny Williams, had just returned from church when one of their neighbors noticed smoke coming from their van. A family member used a garden hose to put out the fire that had torn through Misty’s car seat.
Once the fire had been extinguished, fire marshals were called. Their investigation found that the children’s book left underneath the car seat caused the fire.
'We are relieved that no one was injured,' the book manufacturer said in a statement.
Destiny said she’s "very shocked that it could ever happen. But also so blessed that she wasn’t in there." Cottage Door Press, the manufacturer of the book, released a statement about the incident and its product.
"Our electronic children’s books, which have sold millions of units without incident, use alkaline batteries, not lithium-ion batteries. We are relieved that no one was injured and are working closely with local officials and experts to determine the cause of this incident," the statement reads.
The incident served as a warning.
"[I'm] just very shocked that could ever happen but also so blessed [Misty] wasn't in there," Williams told WSOC. Firefighters estimate the minivan sustained thousands of dollars in damage. The incident served as a warning for others who may have similar books.
Lt. Connie Pollard, who was one of the respondents to the fire, called her daughter who has similar books. "It was a real shock to a lot of us because several of the firefighters have young children," Pollard said. "I have grandchildren, and immediately after leaving the scene, I did a multi-text and phone call to my children."
