Power banks are ubiquitous in this day and age where smartphones don’t always get to last a whole day, but as common as they are, it is still a safety hazard if they’re not stored properly. Besides avoiding the heat, as the example below shows, it’s also good to keep it away from large pets, such as dogs.
Dogs And Power Banks Don’t Mix
This incident originated from Tulsa, Oklahoma of the United States, where a house fire was started by a house owner’s pet dog taking a power bank as a toy to play with. We all know it’s dangerous to puncture the lithium-ion batteries typically found in smartphones and power banks – and that’s exactly what the unsuspecting dog tried to do.
After a few bites at it, the power bank indeed started a shower of sparks that quickly became a fire. The dog naturally dropped it as soon as it goes haywire, thankfully without hurting itself. As the battery burns through the dog bed, all the pets in the room briefly stared at the fire before escaping through the dog door unharmed. The house did end up “significantly damaged” after the fires, the fire department said.
This eventually became a part of the public safety video from the local fire department to raise awareness about the dangers of battery fires. “The outcome could have been much worse if there had been no means of escape or if the family was asleep at the time,” said Andy Little, the public information officer of Tulsa Fire Department.
So, the moral of the lesson here is simple – keep the lithium-ion batteries, such as power banks, out of reach from children or pets. Place it inside a drawer where it can be difficult for pets to access; and when in need of disposal, make sure to send it to dedicated recycling facilities capable of processing such materials.
Source: PCMag
Pokdepinion: Good thing the pets were unharmed.
