DAMASCUS, Md. (AP) — Authorities say a man’s dog may have started a fire at his home north of Washington, D.C.

WTTG-TV reports (http://bit.ly/2sWhkcM ) officials believe one of the man’s three dogs that were rescued Sunday afternoon at a townhouse in Damascus, Maryland could have started the blaze.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Pete Piringer says it’s likely that a dog may have taken a vaping device and played with it to the point where its battery leaked gas or had a chemical reaction enough to cause a flame.

Piringer says although these incidents are accidents, preventative measures like keeping things out of reach from a small child or pet can be taken.

Montgomery County firefighters say the battery is being examined at a lab to determine how exactly it caught fire.

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Information from: WTTG-TV, http://www.myfoxdc.com