WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — The Washington C.H. Fire Department is urging residents to check how they charge their phones overnight, warning that the growing power flowing through modern chargers and cheap extension cords carries the same fire risk that destroyed a bed in the department’s coverage area six years ago.
In a Facebook post this week, the department revisited a photograph it first shared in 2020 showing a badly charred phone charger, extension cord and pillow. The department said the burn pattern indicates the extension cord overheated and ignited the bedding around it.
“The devices have changed and the risk hasn’t gone away,” the department said in the post.
Phones now draw far more power than they did just a few years ago, the department said. Apple’s iPhone 17 models support up to 40 watts of wired charging, and Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra supports up to 60 watts, compared with the 5-watt chargers that were standard not long ago. The department said that jump means heat management, and the quality of every cord, cable and charger in the chain, matters more than it used to.
Nationally, cords and plugs are involved in about 1% of home fires but roughly 6% of home fire deaths, according to the department, which said extension cords are the leading contributor within that category. The problems visible in the 2020 photo remain common, the department said: low-quality cords, devices charging on or under bedding, and chargers left running overnight while people sleep.
The warning comes ahead of Fire Prevention Week, set for Oct. 4-10 this year. The National Fire Protection Association has built this year’s national campaign, “Charge Into Fire Safety: Safe Charging Is a Superpower,” around lithium-ion battery and charging safety for phones, laptops, power tools and e-bikes.
The department is asking households to look at how they charge their devices, avoid charging phones and other electronics on or underneath bedding, and use quality cords and chargers rather than the cheapest option available.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Washington C.H. Fire Department.
