Oh boy! Has it ever been hot? Here in Toronto, we’re definitely experiencing a heat wave . And it isn’t showing any signs of slowing either. When it gets hot, we tend to get dehydrated , and getting enough fluids is necessary .
But don’t leave that water bottle in your car. Why? As it turns out, it can really backfire. Let’s find out exactly how.
Okay, let me ask you something: Does your husband leave water bottles in the car?
Mine does it all the time. I usually ask him to take them when he leaves the car, but when I’m not with him, he often forgets.
Leaving a water bottle in your car doesn’t sound like a big deal, right?
Wrong. I knew that leaving a water bottle was bad for your health as the water can heat up inside the plastic bottle. But I had no idea there was another reason not to leave them behind.
As it turns out, a water bottle can become a fire hazard.
Yes, you heard that right. So what exactly happens? Check this out: Apparently, when the sun catches the water bottle just right, it can act as a magnifying glass . And what happens when light hits a magnifying glass?
It can start a fire.
OMG! That’s exactly what happened when this Iowa Power Company battery operator was sitting in his car. He was eating lunch when he noticed some suspicious smoke coming from the back seat of his car.
He turned around and quickly realized what was happening.
The sun’s light refracting through the water bottle started a small fire in the car. Wow! That’s pretty scary, huh? Imagine if that happened when the vehicle was unoccupied? Holy moly!
That’s one sure way to set your car on fire.
And I don’t think you really want to do that. There are even firefighters warning people about this very thing. You can find videos on YouTube that show how a water bottle can burn through paper.
Say it isn’t so!
It’s even more dangerous if the water bottle is clear. And it doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s full of liquid or just has some left over. Either way, they can catch things on fire when exposed to sunlight.
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I don’t know about you but I’m going to heed that warning.
From now on, I will be on my fiancé to do a better job at getting rid of the water bottles in his car. The last thing he needs in his life is to burn his vehicle to the ground.
So, did you know about this?
I admit this is the first I’ve heard about it. But I’m not going to risk it. As I always say, it’s better to be safe than sorry. It’s such a small thing to remember to discard your water bottles, and it can save you a whole lot of trouble.