If you are starting out the year with a new laptop or cell phone, make sure you are using them on a solid surface, like a table or a countertop.
Moncton Fire Prevention Officer Steve Richardson says if not, your computer can end up overheating, “Make sure they are not on a piece of furniture or a bed, because these things can heat up. We’ve had one significant fire last year, due to a cell phone being charged on bedding.”
Charging cords need to be properly cared for, “We’re constantly getting people bringing in charging cords showing how they have caught fire or started to arc or smoke, because every time you pull on the cord, you are stretching the conductors and then they start to fray and they start to heat up, and in turn can end up starting a fire.”
Richardson adds, that you should never place your electronics on anything that will keep them from allowing the air to flow through them, and don’t place them on anything flammable.
