WASHINGTON — A dog in North Carolina started a fire while his owner was away after playing with a device with a lithium battery in it.

The dog, named Colton, was home alone when he "counter-surfed," grabbed ahold of the device and started playing with it on the living room rug.

Moments later, smoke and then flames burst out of the device as Colton dashed up the stairs. Luckily for him, video from inside the home showed the fire went out quickly, and no one was injured.

Colton’s owner, David Sasser, also happens to be a firefighter with the Chapel Hill Fire Department. He shared the video with the department, and the public, this week to show the importance of storing items with lithium batteries correctly.

"He bit into it, and you can see it, you know, he's surprised by it, and the

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