Captain of Fire Prevention & Life Safety Division Randy Vezina is warning the public about leaving cell phone charging cords plugged in when unattended.
North Bay Fire & Emergency Services recently attended a home and discovered that a Samsung charging cord had experienced an electrical failure and began to blacken and burn at its end while resting on a hardwood floor. The cord was plugged into a power bar, which was, in turn, plugged into a living room electrical outlet.
The owner told the fire department that the cord was always plugged in at that location and that it was the smell of the charger burning that prompted the call to NBFES.
Vezina warns that if the charger end had been left on the couch or another combustible material, an open flame could have been the result.
Vezina says that a defect in the charger itself is to blame and Samsung, Health Canada and the Electrical Safety Authority have been advised of the incident.
