Portable fan left charging overnight explodes, catches fire in Caloocan home

A portable handheld fan that was left charging overnight exploded and caught fire in a family's home in Caloocan. 

In Kuya Kim Atienza's report on "24 Oras" Friday, CCTV footage from the Almoete family home in Barangay 42, South Caloocan, showed the portable fan exploding on the bed beside Jhinky, who slept next to her child and her partner. 

The incident immediately roused Jhinky from sleep, prompted her to unplug the charger from the electrical outlet and put out the fire. 

"Sobrang taranta ko po, nahagis ko 'yung electric fan tapos paghagis ko po ng electric fan, 'yung pinaka-elesi ng electric fan, tumulo pa po dun sa may paanan ko kaya biglang 'yung apoy lumakas," she said. 

"Ginawa ko pinagpagan ko ng kamay ko. Hinihipan po namin ng partner ko hanggang sa nawala po. May sugat po ako ngayon sa kamay," she added. 

Jhinky admitted that she forgot to remove the charger from the electrical outlet before sleeping. 

"Chinarge ko po ng ala-una ng madaling araw, tapos nag-scroll-scroll muna ako sa FB hanggang sa nakatulugan ko na po 'yung cellphone. 'Di ko po natanggal 'yung saksakan." 

She is now afraid of using the other portable fan she had bought because of the incident. 

"Itatapon ko na po kasi natatakot na po ako eh, lalo na may bata," she said. 

According to Kuya Kim, the overcharging of gadgets happens when a device continues to charge even after its battery is already full. He explained that even with the battery at 100%, a small current may still flow when the device remains plugged, putting stress on the battery. This can cause the battery to degrade faster, make the device overheat, and in worst cases, explode, such as what happened to Jhinky's portable fan. 

While some modern devices are designed to stop charging once the battery is full, an expert has advised the public to still unplug gadgets from their chargers to avoid risks. 

"Kahit may auto-stop charging, hindi pa rin maganda na naka-charge buong gabi dahil kahit humihinto ang charging sa 100%, nababawasan pa rin pakonti-konti 'yung battery ng phone habang naka-standby," explained Engr. Jolly Babe M. Siago, an electrical engineer from the electrical engineering faculty of Cebu Institute of Technology-University. 

"Kapag bumaba ito nang bahagya, halimbawa 99%, mag-cha-charge ulit ito pabalik ng 100%. Ang paulit-ulit na cycle na 'to ay nagdudulot ng stress sa ating battery at init na nakaka-apekto sa battery niya." 

Meanwhile, to avoid overcharging hazards, Kuya Kim said that it is best to charge devices within the proper range.

Citing electrical engineers, he added that it is recommended to charge devices up to 80% instead of 100%, as this helps extend battery life. 

The public is also advised to avoid leaving devices plugged in for long periods of time and to only use original, high-quality chargers for their gadgets. 

—CDC, GMA News