Woman In Tampines Condo Rudely Awakened When An Unused Powerbank In The Room Exploded

Phones have become more than just devices for calls or texts.

Games, videos and other apps take up lots of battery power so most of us also bring along power banks.

But what happens when your power bank catches fire when you haven’t even used it before?

Exploded At Home

Better place them far away from you while sleeping.

According to Lianhe Wanbao, a woman had woke up to a loud sound in her Tampines condo on 12 Sept.

Upon inspection, she realised that her unused power bank had exploded and caught fire.

Her husband said she was sleeping in the master bedroom when it happened.

He was working in the study, while his 15-year-old daughter and dog were in the living room at the time.

The explosion happened around 1am while the power bank was inside a plastic box beside their table drawer.

Controlling The Fire

The woman didn’t even panic.

She quickly got to the toilet and brought out a wet towel to grab the power bank and throw it on the floor.

Her husband also said that she went back around four to five more times to soak the towel until she put the fire out.

When that was done, the woman sealed the melted power bank in a plastic bag outside their home and went back to sleep.

What a badass.

According to the husband, neither he nor his daughter even noticed the incident until his wife informed him about it.

He also said that the only damages done were the burnt towel and a bit of their timbre floor.

Still slightly curious how you wouldn’t hear albeit a small explosion, though.

Minimise Explosions

If you own a power bank and read this, then you might be a little concerned now.

There are ways you can minimise the odds of this happening.

Firstly, don’t overcharge your power bank. A lot of power banks come with in-built safety systems that turn it off on a full charge, but being safe never hurt.

Overcharging could then lead to another issue which is overheating.

If your power bank gets really hot while charging, unplug it immediately.

You should also store the device in a cool and dry place away from heat sources, moisture and dust.

And as much as possible, try not to put your power banks cramped up in your pockets or this could happen to you.

That being said, make sure to get one with features like overcharge protection, short-circuit protection, over-temperature or over-heat protection.

Check out even more safety tips over here.

Personally, also don’t put your phones or chargers anywhere near you while you sleep.

Better be safe than sorry, after all.

Read Also: LG Has a New Phone That Has a Swivelling Screen That Doesn’t Really Make Sense