A small bottle of hand sanitizer left on a car's dashboard caused the vehicle to catch fire Thursday in suburban Waukegan, according to the fire department.
Fire officials stated that sunlight shining through the windshield onto the sanitizer was enough to cause the fire to ignite. The owner had been refilling the bottle with 80% alcohol sanitizer that was supplied by her employer, officials said.
The owner was able to spray a small amount of water through a small hole in the windshield, extinguishing the fire.
In a Facebook post, the Waukegan Fire Department said other similar incidents have happened across the country, and with the summer heat, they strongly recommend hand sanitizer isn't kept in vehicles.
