A hidden fire danger in your home

A Calgary man found out first-hand how charging cell phones and other devices can pose a fire hazard.

Eric Yeung plugged in his Samsung phone on a night stand before going to bed one night – when he woke up in the morning he made a disturbing discovery.

“I tried to pull the charger out and it was actually stuck in the phone – that woke me up really quick,” says Yeung.

“I looked at it and right away I yanked it out and I could tell something was wrong. Once I yanked it out I could see that the phone was a little bit charred.”

Yueng says he’s thankful the only thing that was damaged was his charger cable and phone.

“It could have started a fire, the battery could have blown up, who knows right?”

Samsung replaced his phone but didn’t explain what happened or if there was a defect.

Raynald Marchand of the Canada Safety Council says it’s dangerous to charge any electronic device unattended.

“Many people will recharge these units while they’re unattended and they’ll leave them plugged in, they’ll go out of the house or they’ll go to bed and these units can overheat; the charger itself can be defective.”

Marchand says the fire hazard has increased as cell phones become more powerful.

“As a result when they fail, you get catastrophic heat and you get a fire if they’re not handled properly.”

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Yeung says he has learned a valuable lesson.

“I’m trying to charge it a lot more throughout the day now, so I don’t have to charge it and leave it overnight.”

The Canada Safety Council has some tips on how to safely use battery chargers:

• Locate your battery recharging station in a safe area, such as a tabletop clear of any other objects – never near anything flammable. Be careful not to overload any power bars or outlets.
• Whenever possible, recharge batteries while you are present in the home. Have a working smoke detector in the room where the batteries are being recharged, and make sure a fire extinguisher is nearby if needed.
• Shut off battery-powered devices, such as laptops and tablet computers, when they are not in use
• Do not leave laptops, tablets, cellphones or similar devices unattended on couches or beds, or in other areas where they may overheat and come into contact with potentially flammable materials. Ensure good air circulation around devices at all times.