Loaded Handgun Stored in an Oven. What Happened Next Was Predictable.

One would think there are some things that need no warning, like don't store a loaded gun in an oven. But that is exactly what a fire and emergency medical services department in Virginia was forced to do after chaos erupted when a homeowner did just that.

"PLEASE DO NOT STORE GUNS OR ANYTHING ELSE IN YOUR OVEN," the Chesterfield County Fire and EMS all-caps posted to Facebook on Sept. 6, following the dangerous incident.

The two photos accompanying the post show a handgun melted to an oven rack and the glass door of the oven smashed apart. "While this is an extreme example, these pictures show why you should never store anything in your oven," the post continued.

As the post explained, firefighters had been called about a report of a fire at a home in Chesterfield, VA, with the homeowner claiming that the oven had "exploded." When personnel at the scene opened the oven they found the gun inside. Someone at the home had apparently unknowingly turned on the oven with the gun inside, and when the gun got hot enough it discharged five rounds.

"Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the situation could have turned out much differently," the post stated.

"When you place any item in the oven it is easy to forget it is there, which can lead to a fire or something worse when you turn it on," the post continued, adding that firearms should always be properly stored someplace secure, such as a gun safe.

According to the Online Texas LTC firearms training course, via the New York Post , bullets have to reach around 400 degrees before they start spontaneously discharging on their own. Of course, that's an extreme example of why guns shouldn't be stored carelessly.

The homeowner certainly got off lucky with only having to replace an oven, and not suffer a horrific injury or loss of life.