The cell phone cable fire in bed

A rather sparse post on Facebook warns against burning smartphone charging cables in bed.

Unfortunately, what is certainly a well-intentioned post raises more questions than it answers. That's why we received several inquiries about this article:

https://www.facebook.com/FFWNortmoor/photos/a.858347720845756/2923724110974763/?type=3&theater

Let's ignore the fact that children also charge their smartphones instead of buying a new one every time... But there are a few questions left unanswered:
Where does the picture come from? When and where did this happen? How can this happen? What should you pay attention to?

The source of the image

The picture apparently comes from Belgium, at least you can find it in an article there. In February, a woman in the Belgian municipality of De Panne woke up to the charger cable on her iPhone burning. She had bought the charger cheaply from “Kruidvat”, a Dutch drugstore chain. This was reported by the Belgian site “ hln ”.

It is unclear whether the photo actually shows such a fire. There are doubts about the authenticity of the picture in the comments:

The danger of cheap chargers

There are always warnings against using cheap charging cables instead of original parts. “ Welt ” reported that the device that regulates the voltage down in cheap devices often does not work. This means that the full 220 volts reach the cell phone, the battery quickly becomes hot and overcharged, and a fire occurs.

The danger of charging your cell phone in bed

It is undisputed that this can , but it does not have to .
For example, if the smartphone is under the blanket or a pillow, it can become dangerously hot. However, the electronics in the smartphone detect if the temperature rises too high and switches itself off. However, you shouldn't necessarily rely on this, as there are always incidents in which the cell phone catches fire under the pillow.

Don't put your cellphone under a pillow when sleeping or when charging your device.Please share this tip and be safe! pic.twitter.com/uwD3PXgVQf

— NYPD 33rd Precinct (@NYPD33Pct) February 16, 2016

Conclusion

The smartphone has no place in bed, neither for children, teenagers nor adults. Apart from the fact that it is more of a hindrance to your night's sleep if you comment on a Facebook post or receive a message in the WhatsApp group chat in the middle of the night - there is actually a risk that the smartphone battery will catch fire.

In most cases, the cause of fire is improper use (for example, using cheaply manufactured chargers); In individual cases, technical errors in the cell phone itself can be responsible for a fire.

So you can continue to charge your cell phone and don't always have to buy a new one. But then please do it properly: with an original charger - and not in bed.