Some friends had a pretty big scare recently. An auto fire resulted from their having left a cell phone charger plugged into their car outlet . The charger overheated and started a fire while parked in their garage. Fortunately, they are all okay but they wanted to warn everyone not to make the same mistake they made.
A couple of lessons they say they've learned here:
- Never leave anything plugged into a power point in your vehicle - especially if your vehicle maintains constant power to the outlet when the engine is shut off. (If you're lucky enough to avoid a fire, the device can still run down your car battery.)
- Make sure you have smoke detectors installed in your garage and house...and just as important, check regularly to make sure that the detectors are working!
Our friends feel very fortunate to have accidentally discovered the fire (at 11pm) before going to bed and before it spread to the house. None of their garage heat detectors or house fire alarms went off. PLEASE unplug anything you have in your car outlets once you turn off your car! It's nice to hope for the best, but better to plan for the worst.
Feel free to pass this along, in hopes that you and everyone you know has a safe and happy new year. Below I've attached some pictures of what remains of their 2007 Suburban.
Shannon, so glad no injuries occurred. Whether they're 120V or 12V there's always a slight draw from what I understand. I wouldn't have guessed this extent of damage could happen though. Thanks, this will definitely be circulated!
Shannon,
Thanks for the warning - I always leave my charger plugged in my car. Not any more, thanks to you!
Sue
Wow-- thanks for the warning -- we also will be removing the charger if not in use.
Wow! I keep my cord plugged in too. I will not do that again. Thanks for the information.