Button battery inside children's book causes car seat fire: Officials

By Yi-Jin Yu

A button battery inside a children's book caused a car seat to burst into flames, according to a North Carolina fire department.

The George Hildebran Fire & Rescue Department, located in Burke County, shared photos of the charred car seat, minivan interior, and an image of the children's book in question in a Facebook post Monday and said the vehicle fire occurred on Sunday.

"A child's cars [sic] seat caught fire shortly after they had exited the vehicle to go inside," the department wrote in the post. "Once the fire was out The Fire Marshals Office was called. It was determined that a 'Button Battery' inside a children's book left inside the car underneath the seat caused the fire."

George Hildebran Fire & Rescue Department

The George Hildebran Fire & Rescue Department in North Carolina shared photos on Facebook of a child's car seat that caught fire due to a battery inside a children's book.

George Hildebran Fire & Rescue Department

The George Hildebran Fire & Rescue Department in North Carolina shared photos on Facebook of a child's car seat that caught fire due to a battery inside a children's book.

George Hildebran Fire & Rescue Department

The George Hildebran Fire & Rescue Department in North Carolina shared photos on Facebook of a child's car seat that caught fire due to a battery inside a children's book.

The children's book identified in the image is "JJ's Potty Time," a board book featuring a character from the popular CoComelon YouTube series. The book also features an interactive sound component with battery-powered buttons that make noises when pressed.

Investigators said they suspect a button battery inside the children's book, which was placed between the car seat and van seat, may have overheated, leading to the fire.

Some button batteries contain lithium, a flammable metal, but in a statement to ABC News, Cottage Door Press, the publisher of "JJ's Potty Time," said their books are not made with lithium button batteries.

"Our electronic children's books, which have sold millions of units without incident, use alkaline batteries, not lithium ion batteries as reported," Cottage Door Press said. "We are relieved that no one was injured, and are working closely with local officials and experts to determine the cause of this incident."

According to ABC affiliate WSOC, Destiny Williams and her daughter, Misty, had returned home from church and were inside their home when a neighbor noticed smoke coming from their minivan and alerted the family. One of the family members was able to use a garden hose to douse the flames until first responders arrived.

"[I'm] just very shocked that could ever happen but also so blessed [Misty] wasn't in there," Williams told WSOC.