The cause? A children's book.
Investigators said the book was placed between the child safety seat and the van seat. They believe the small lithium battery inside the book overheated and started the fire.
No one was in the car at the time, so no one was injured.
According to ABC affiliate WSOC-TV, the family had returned home from church and were inside their home. A neighbor noticed smoke coming from the minivan.
A family member grabbed the garden hose, WSOC reported, and got the fire out.
"The world itself is moving to lithium batteries, which propose some of these troubles to the fire service," Chief Bobby Craig at the George Hildebran Fire and Rescue told WSOC. "I don't know if there is - other than trying to keep them cool - that there is any precautions."
The fire department is keeping the safety seat for training purposes, WSOC reported.