Fire officials warn of fires caused by TV remote batteries

Firefighters say your TV remote could pose a serious fire danger.

Fire officials are warning about how the batteries in a remote can start a fire.

It happened in Iowa and left a home burned. It also happened in a Pittsburgh suburb and left a woman shaken up.

"The flames were going up. The sofa cushion was on fire and it was going up the wall," Carolyn Supansic said.

She said the fire could have killed her brother, and now she can't stop worrying about the threat to others.

"Watch your TV remote. Be careful," she said.

The batteries inside her remote caused the fire in November.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Clark Howard says near-fatal disease possibly caused by popular antibiotic
• MBA for mom who went to all classes with quadriplegic sone
• Children, teens identified as victims of Manchester attack

DeKalb fire captain Eric Jackson said fires started by batteries in a TV remote control are rare, but not unlike those started by lithium batteries in the recalled Galaxy 7 Note and hoverboards.

"It is a small source of electricity, a small source of power," he said.

Experts warn household batteries can pose a risk if not handled properly.

Their advice is to never reuse batteries, like taking them from another device to put in the remote. If a battery has a small nick on the outside, don't use it.

"Make sure it has not been compromised, because not only does that serve as an additional source of hazard, but it could also spark," Jackson said.

Experts said not to mix brands of batteries, no matter what they are and be careful of letting the remote fall between the cushions of a couch, where it can overheat if the buttons are pressed.

Cox Media Group