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For many of us, power banks have become as essential as our cell phones. But are they 100% safe?
A woman was abruptly awakened when an unused power bank exploded and caught fire in her Tampines condo in the early hours of Saturday (September 12), Lianhe Wanbao reported.
The woman’s husband, 47, who did not want to be identified, said his wife was sleeping in the master bedroom where the incident occurred around 1 a.m.
He was working in the studio while his 15-year-old daughter and her dog were in the room at the time, he told the Chinese newspaper.
His wife was awakened by a sudden boom when the power bank, which was placed in a plastic box in her nightstand drawer, suddenly exploded, he said.
After seeing that the power bank was on fire, she immediately ran to the bathroom, wet a towel, and used it to retrieve the power bank from the table.
But the flames grew even higher after she threw the power bank to the ground, she said.
“She grabbed the towel and ran to the bathroom to add more water. It took four or five more trips to the bathroom before she could put out the fire.”
The only damage was a part of the wooden floor and the burned towel, he said.
After putting out the fire, his wife placed the melted power bank in a plastic bag outside their house and went back to sleep.
The situation went unnoticed by him and his daughter until his wife broke the news to them in the morning, he said.
Other users of power banks have also reported similar spontaneous explosions.
In January 2019, a man suffered burns and was taken to hospital after a power bank he was using to charge his phone exploded in his pants pocket.
According to Enterprise SG, consumers should be on the lookout for safety protection features, including overload protection, short circuit protection, overheating or overheating.
They should also consider purchasing power banks from reputable brands and beware of power banks that are fraudulently listed as “Spring Singapore approved” or “Enterprise Singapore approved” as there is no registration or approval process for them. power banks are sold locally.
