For most of us, our cars tend to gather a little clutter from time to time. Wrappers, papers, extra clothes, half-empty water bottles… things seem to pile up and before you know it, your car is in desperate need of a cleaning. While a little clutter never hurt anyone, leaving plastic water bottles in your car just might.
An Idaho man recently learned that leaving plastic water bottles in your car can cause some serious damage in the heat. Battery technician Dioni Amuchastegu was sitting in his truck on his lunch break when he saw smoke out of the corner of his eye. Dioni turned to find that the passenger seat of his truck was burning.
It turns out that light was being refracted through a plastic water bottle, which caused the passenger seat to catch fire. Two charred holes in the passenger seat prove Dioni’s story. Idaho Power explained that a round, plastic water bottle filled with a clear liquid can act as a lens to concentrate the sun’s energy on one point. Eventually, enough heat is created to spark flames and ignite a fire.
“Light was just shining through the driver’s side window and shone right through (the water bottle) and burned those two spots in the seat right there,” Dioni explained.
If your car tends to get a little cluttered, the most important thing to remember is to get rid of any plastic water bottles lying around. On a sunny day, those bottles could end up starting a fire in your vehicle.
After Dioni’s close call, Idaho Power created a Facebook post to warn the public about leaving water bottles in their cars. The post read, “Did you know that on a hot day, a see through water bottle in your car has the potential to start a fire? Neither did Stations Battery Technician Dioni Amuchastegui.” The power company also created a video to add to the post, which has been viewed over 35,000 times.
Watch the video below to learn more about the dangers of leaving plastic water bottles in a hot car:
Sources:
Life Aspire
Facebook
You Tube
The post Power Company Shares Warning After Car Seat Catches Fire appeared first on David Avocado Wolfe.