Toy car bursts into flames
A mother is sending a dire warning to parents after her son’s ride-on toy car exploded and burnt down their garage.
Sarah Jennings, 26, was mowing the lawn at their Dargaville home with her 2-year-old son on Wednesday last week when she heard her neighbour screaming that her house was on fire.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) later said the fire was most likely caused by a toy car battery left charging in her garage. The incident happened shortly after 2pm.
The service has attended a few battery-related fires across the country recently.
But Jennings said the toy car wasn’t being charged when it exploded because the charger was sitting in her house. There was no place in her garage to charge it.
Minutes before the fire started, she had stored her son’s toy Jeep away after he rode it around a bit. She bought it for him a year ago.
‘‘I’d normally let him drive around his Jeep when I mow the lawn, but that day I told him to get his toy lawnmower and come help me,’’ she said.
‘‘If I hadn’t and if he was still riding that car, I don’t even want to imagine what could have happened.’’
FENZ risk reduction and investigations manager Todd O’Donoghue said fire crews attended four battery-related incidents in April – three in the North Island, including one in Auckland, and one in the South Island.
O’Donoghue said people should be careful when charging everyday devices powered by lithium batteries.
These could include smartphones, laptops, smoke alarms, vacuum cleaners and toys.
‘‘Like any product, some these batteries can be defective – they can overheat, catch fire or explode,’’ he said.
‘‘When charging lithium-ion batteries, make sure they are on a hard, flat surface and not under a pillow, on the bed or on a couch.’’
Charging batteries in these places could cause them to overheat and start a fire, he said.
‘‘Don’t use or charge a battery that shows signs of swelling, overheating or damage and do not leave batteries or devices in direct sunlight or hot vehicles.’’
Jennings said she wanted parents to be aware of the dangers of toys that were powered by lithium batteries.
If it wasn’t for her neighbour sounding the alarm, more homes would have burnt down too, she said.
‘‘I’ve been very careful with his Jeep, I read instructions carefully. I never overcharge it, and only ever leave it charged inside the house for six hours at a time.’’
The retailer of the toy car has been approached for comment.
‘‘That day I told him to get his toy lawnmower and come help me. If I hadn’t and if he was still riding that car, I don’t even want to imagine what could have happened.’’
Sarah Jennings