‘Expensive’ power bank explodes while charging on carpet in M’sia, sets woman’s room on fire

‘I heard an explosion like a bomb’: Woman’s room catches fire while charging power bank

A woman in Malaysia was left shaken and slightly injured after her power bank exploded “like a bomb” while she was charging it beside her chair, setting part of her bedroom ablaze.

The incident happened at around 2pm on an undisclosed date some time this year at her home, Nurul Najihah recounted in a Facebook post shared on 4 Nov.

“I heard an explosion sound like a bomb, and then red and orange flames came out,” she wrote. “I didn’t even manage to take a photo because I was trembling from fear and shock.”

Power bank explodes while charging on carpet

Ms Nurul said she had been charging her power bank beside her printer — both placed on a white carpet in her master bedroom — when the device suddenly exploded about 15 minutes later.

The blast occurred right beside her arm, causing minor burns.

Despite her injury, she managed to think quickly and put out the fire using wet cloths and a bucket of water from her attached bathroom.

Room filled with thick smoke, printer destroyed

Thick black smoke billowed through the room as the flames spread. Her printer was destroyed in the process, while the walls turned black from the heat.

“The walls of the house were pitch black, and they were really hot at that time,” she recalled.

Ms Nurul, who runs a small online business from home, said most of her neighbours were out at work then, leaving her to handle the blaze alone.

Her purple power bank, which she described as “quite expensive” and costing between RM70 (S$20) and RM100 (S$30), had been in use since 2022 or 2023.

She suspects the explosion might have been caused by long-term use, hot weather, overcharging, or placing the device on a carpet.

Warns others against unsafe charging practices

Though traumatised by the experience, Ms Nurul was thankful she acted fast before the fire could spread further.

“I was able to think clearly even in a panic. If it were someone else, I don’t know how it would have turned out,” she wrote.

She ended her post with advice for others to practise safe charging habits:

• Avoid charging on carpets or flammable surfaces
• Do not overcharge power banks or phones
• Stay nearby while charging

“Please don’t blame the brand, I’m just sharing this as a lesson,” she said. “Until now, I’m still traumatised. I no longer use power banks, and when I charge my phone, I sit right in front of it just in case.”

Also read: Landlord evicts tenant after power bank catches fire & destroys bedroom in Jurong West