LEANDER, Texas — Leander resident Shaun Noll never expected to spend Easter morning going through the wreckage of his home, but that’s where he found himself after a battery for his cordless vacuum exploded.
On Thursday, Noll’s two young sons were in his living room when an overheated lithium battery plugged into the wall charging a cordless vacuum exploded.
“The oldest one, you know, noticed the smell, turned and saw the battery had just basically, you know, started a little fire,” Noll said. “Then they both ran next door to the neighbor.”
The neighbor tried to help, but quickly realized there was a much bigger problem and called Noll.
“While I was on the phone, he said, ‘Oh, oh snap, we need to call 911, we need to call 911,’” Noll said. “That’s when I took off from my job site to rush over here as fast as I could."
Noll's Ring security cameras at the front door and garage caught everything on video. He was watching it all unfold in real time while he was on his way home.
By the time he got home, everything inside his house was gone.
“The realization kind of kicked in like, ‘Wow, I just really – wow, just like that, I really just lost everything,’” Noll said.
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All the walls that were once white had turned black, everything that was plastic had melted down and everything that was made of wood was charred. The only thing left was a load of laundry in the dryer that somehow managed to make it out unscathed.
The family also lost two cats. A third cat is in the hospital, expected to recover.
For Noll, even though everything he and his family owned was lost in the fire, he’s grateful every second that his sons made it out safely.
“Every time I think about that, it sends a big shiver down my spine because they could have easily been, you know, sleeping,” Noll said.
What comes next for Noll and his kids is the rebuilding process. Easter morning, Noll had an adjuster at the house trying to figure out how the family would go about repairing structural interiors.
Noll’s sister, Amanda Bianchi, also stepped up right away, helping the family get donations for all the items they lost.
“Me and my brother have always been close, and I wanted to do whatever we could to help him,” Bianchi said.
Bianchi started a GoFundMe to help replace the items lost and help the family get by until they can figure out what their insurance will help with. Danielson Middle School in Leander will also be holding a donation drive on April 1 to help Noll’s sons with clothes, shoes and gift cards for food and essentials.
Bianchi is also trying to warn people of the dangers of keeping things plugged in while not at home.
“If you have any device with a lithium battery to see, keep an eye on it,” Bianchi said. “Make sure you're not charging it if you're not home, and just keep an eye on that because things can change in a second.”
But for Easter Sunday, Bianchi and her brother’s main focus is just trying to create a sense of normalcy for the boys.
“We’re going to try to have a dinner and have an Easter egg hunt and try to do whatever we can to lessen the impact,” Bianchi said.
Bins have been set up outside of Noll’s home for people to drop off donations. Noll said he will be checking them periodically throughout the coming days.