Terrifying reason you should never leave a water bottle in your car

Water may be essential to life, but as heatwaves sweep the country, the seemingly harmless bottles can pose a major safety risk. 

Leaving a bottle of plain water - that is housed in a clear container - can be a recipe for disaster if the sun hits it just right, Administrative Major for the Midwest City Fire Department, David Richardson, has warned. 

Much like a magnifying glass can burn a hole through things, so can clear plastic water bottles. 

'The chances are pretty small, but they're not impossible,' Richardson, who tested the method, told ABC News. 

The water bottle can heat up nearby objects and can potentially cause a fire. 

Richardson tested this method in 2017, when he used a piece of paper with a black rectangle printed on it, and a regular old water bottle and let the sun beam down on it on an 83-degree day. 

As the ray of light lands on the paper, smoke starts to form and a small hole burns straight through. 

'So sure enough, a water bottle can start a fire,' he said in the video. 

Certain factors do need to be in place for the water bottle to become a fire hazard - such as the car windows can't be tinted and the water bottle would need to be full to give it a magnifying effect. 

'So, keep in mind that all the factors need to be in place to actually make this work,' he said. 

Another warning to heed this summer is to avoid drinking water out of bottles that have been sitting in the hot sun for a prolonged amount of time. 

Dr. Stephanie Widmer told ABC News that the bottle's chemical composition can change in the heat and the water could be contaminated with dangerous toxins. 

Other things that pose a danger inside cars during summertime are lithium batteries, such as those found in vapes and electric scooters. 

The plastic casing can melt and expose the battery to direct sunlight, which could lead to an explosion. 

Lithium batteries, especially in electric scooters, have proven to be quite the danger as thousands of them explode each year due to overheating.  

Other items to avoid leaving in your car over risks of explosion include: aerosol cans, canned or bottled soda, and lighters. 

Items that could spoil in the sun, include: sunscreen, medicine, and alcohol; and items like glasses and sunglasses could warp if left in direct sunlight. 

Recently, Southwest Airlines reported that soda cans exploded after being loaded onto a flight due to the heatwave crushing the US right now. 

Entire cases split open on several flights taking off from Phoenix, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, where temperatures have soared in the scorching triple digits. 

At least 20 flight attendants have been injured, including one that needed stitches.