The fire caused by a mobile phone charging cable occurred in Foshan City, Guangdong Province, China. In a hurry to leave, a man surnamed Huang unplugged his charging phone, threw the charger cable onto the bed, and left the house. Unexpectedly, the charger cable caught fire just minutes after he left, burning the blanket, bedsheet, pillow, mattress, and causing a fire.

The entire bedroom was burned beyond recognition, but fortunately, no one was injured.

Huang stated, "Less than 10 minutes after leaving the house, I saw the fire trucks arrive, then the building management called to inform me that my house was on fire."

According to the released images of the scene, the bedroom walls were scorched and the furniture was charred. Other rooms did not catch fire but were heavily smoke-stained, creating a frightening scene. The local fire department determined that the fire was caused by the charging cable not being disconnected, which led to an electrical short circuit.

The fire department also reminded that if a mobile phone charging cable remains powered for a long time and comes into contact with flammable materials, the temperature can rise and cause a fire. For those who have the habit of charging their phones on the bed, after unplugging the phone, do not throw the charger cable onto the bedsheet or pillow. If no one will be home for a long time, it is best to unplug the charger to avoid danger.

Accidents caused by phone charging can have very serious consequences. On November 1, 2024, on an express bus in Penang, Malaysia, an 18-year-old young man was electrocuted while charging his phone and died at the scene.

About 10 minutes after the young man boarded the bus, other passengers heard him screaming and foaming at the mouth. The driver called an ambulance, and when it arrived about 10 minutes later, medical personnel declared the victim dead. Police investigations found burn marks on the victim’s left finger, suspected to be caused by an electric shock while he was charging his phone. The charging cable’s plug had melted, and the phone was very hot.

Another accident occurred in Brazil in August 2023. Jennifer Karolayne, a pregnant woman living in Campina Grande, Paraiba state, was taking a shower when she noticed her phone was out of battery. Not wanting to interrupt her favorite activity, she used an extension cord to charge her phone and continued using it. During this process, Jennifer was electrocuted. She fell to the bathroom floor and never regained consciousness.

Jennifer’s husband heard a loud noise from the bathroom along with his wife’s screams and immediately ran in. Seeing his wife lying face down and motionless, he reached out to help but was also electrocuted. He could only helplessly watch his wife die, and their unborn 9-month-old baby also could not be saved.