A Texas family says when their son kicked off his shoes in the car Friday and left them there overnight, they woke up to a smoky SUV.
Two parents are speaking out and going after a Payless store after they say their son’s light-up sneakers set their car on fire.
On Saturday morning, parents of two and a half-year-old Warren found their sons shoes and the rear passenger side of their SUV burned to a crisp.
"There was nothing in the car, as far as we know, that could start a fire. I saw the shoe laying on the ground with the wires sticking up, and it was just a lightbulb. I knew immediately that’s what it was," said Warren’s mother, Jovan Viraj.
The fire marshal has yet to determine the origin, but the Viraj’s believe a lithium ion battery inside the shoes may be to blame.
"I was rather surprised there was a little lithium ion battery in there just to get some LED lights blinking. It seems rather unnecessary," said the father, Attila Viraj.
They bought the shoes at a Payless Shoe Source store.
In a statement a spokesperson wrote, "We have contacted the family, and we will work with them and local authorities to better understand the circumstances of the fire and what may have caused it."
Warren’s parents say they are thankful Warren wasn’t wearing the shoes at the time they caught fire.
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