Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue service has issued a warning to those who charge their phone in bed after a caravan caught fire. Police were called to a caravan fire on Lakeside Crescent at Short Ferry Caravan Park, Fiskerton, on Wednesday, August 28.
An investigation confirmed that the cause of the fire was a phone charger left plugged in. Dan Moss, area manager for prevention and protection at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service, has warned of the potential dangers that phone chargers can cause.
He said: “When charging your phone or other electronic devices, there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of electrical accidents in your home. Switch off and unplug your chargers when they are not in use. Make sure wires aren’t frayed, and don’t plug too many items into one socket at once, overloading it.
“There’s an added danger of charging your devices overnight; if there is a fire, it will take you longer to notice. And your device is likely to have finished charging long before you wake up, increasing the amount of time that it poses a risk.
“You should never charge your phone in bed. If a device is left surrounded by bedding or under a pillow, there is nowhere for the heat generated during charging to go, making it hotter and hotter. This heat, surrounded by flammable material, has the potential to cause fire and put property and lives in danger.
“Also only use chargers that came with your device, or that are made specifically for it. Cheap, fake chargers often won’t meet important electrical safety requirements.
“Of course, you should always make sure you have smoke detectors, and test them regularly. These provide an early warning – and time to escape – that really does save lives.”
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