Power bank of Filipina tourist in Taiwan explodes while charging

A group of friends from Quezon City who were vacationing in Taiwan were alarmed after one of their members' power banks suddenly exploded while charging. 

In Kuya Kim Atienza's report on "24 Oras" Tuesday, Sheikha Aquino said she and her friend acted quickly and put out the fire with a blanket.  

"Nagulat ako pati 'yung friend ko. Ang una po naming ginawa, pinatay po ng kumot 'yung apoy," she said. 
 
"Nag-alarm na po 'yung fire alarm, so pinababa po kaming lahat sa buong hotel. May mga dumating na pong mga fire truck pati mga bumbero," she added. 

The fire was immediately extinguished, but their group still had to pay P10,000 for damages. 

Based on the group's investigation, the power bank that Sheika bought was defective, which is why it overheated and exploded. 

They have since coordinated with the manufacturer of the power bank, who vowed to give them a refund for the defective item. 

Despite the incident, Sheika and her group decided to still make their trip worthwhile. 

"Tinuloy pa rin po namin 'yung trip namin kasi parang ayoko kasi na dahil lang dun sa nangyari maaapektuhan 'yun buong trip namin. Naging masaya pa rin naman 'yung trip," said Sheika. 

Most power banks use lithium-ion batteries, explained Kuya Kim. Its capacity is measured by milliampere-hour or watt-hour. The bigger the milliampere-hour, the more charges a device can receive. As lithium batteries are sensitive to high temperatures, they can overheat or explode when left in hot environments. 

This is why most airlines have limitations when it comes to the type of power banks that passengers can bring with them inside an aircraft. 

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), only power banks with a capacity of 100 to 160 watt-hours are allowed to be carried. 

To avoid accidents, Engr. Jolly Babe Siago, a faculty member at the Electrical Engineering Department of Cebu Institute of Technology - University, advised the public to only buy power banks from reputable brands and authorized sellers. 

"Marami kasing mga counterfeit na products sa market and they're very prone to overheating. Let's check for safety certification  CE, CC, CCC, FCC. Iwasan natin 'yung mga unrealistic capacity claims. Sinasabi nila na 50,000 milliampere-hour 'yung capacity pero sobrang liit tsaka sobrang mura so 'yun red flag 'yun," advised Siago. —CDC, GMA Integrated News