Photo: George Hildebran Fire & Rescue Department
A North Carolina family had just returned from church when their neighbors told them there was smoke coming from their minivan. A family member rushed outside to grab the garden hose to extinguish the flames.
The fire melted a car seat and caused significant damage to the minivan.
The George Hildebran Fire & Rescue Department said that investigators determined the fire was caused by an interactive children's book. The department explained that the book contained a battery, which likely overheated and sparked the blaze.
"When the fire marshal came and confirmed it was from a lithium battery from a child's book, I was honestly shocked and surprised," Pressley Williams told WSOC.
"Very shocked that that could happen but also so blessed that [our daughter] wasn't in there," Destiny Williams added.
The firefighters at the scene were shocked to learn that a battery in a children's book could cause so much damage.
"It was a real shock to a lot of us because several of the firefighters have young children," Lt. Pollard said. "I have grandchildren, and immediately after leaving the scene, I did a multi-text and phone call to my children."
Pressley said that he reached out to the company that published the book and asked if they would cover the cost to repair the damage, which was estimated to be over $1,000.
The company refused to pay, telling the news station their books do not use lithium-ion batteries.
"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 publishing company said in a statement.