Video shows electric wheelchair go up in flames after lithium battery explodes in Hollywood

Fire officials in Hollywood are praising the quick thinking of a resident who likely saved her home after an electric wheelchair she purchased went up in flames.

According to a Facebook post from Hollywood Fire Rescue and Beach Safety, a woman said she started to hear a strange clicking sound coming from the battery pack of the used electric wheelchair, which she had bought from a thrift store.

The homeowner, Alexandra Anaya, said she woke up just before 6 a.m. Monday and heard the noise coming from the chair, which she had been charging overnight after recently purchasing it for a family member.

Fire officials said that instead of ignoring the sound, she immediately moved the electric wheelchair outdoors, where it exploded.

Anaya said a quick online search made it clear there was an "imminent danger," prompting her to act quickly.

That move, officials said, likely saved her family and home from catastrophe. She then called for help, "and that decision prevented a dangerous lithium battery fire."

"Eight seconds is what separated me and my face getting torched or my house being burnt down with my sister in it," Anaya said. "I really couldn't believe it in the way that it exploded. You see the video I started yelling fire, fire, fire. But thank goodness I got up when I did."

According to Hollywood fire officials, the woman had been charging the chair with a non-manufacturer charger, which can overload or overheat a battery.

Anaya added that she believes her mother, who recently passed away, may have woken her up in time, protecting her from the flames.

"It's a reminder that when it comes to lithium batteries, small warning signs matter," Hollywood Fire Rescue and Beach Safety said in the Facebook post.