A village house in Tuen Mun was gutted by a fire at around 4am yesterday after at least one of several portable power banks left charging by the homeowner exploded while he was out.
According to Sky Post, the flat owner had left four or five power banks charging when we went out for the night. It was his neighbor who spotted the fire and called authorities.
A team of firefighters was dispatched to the scene managed to put the fire out in about half an hour. Eighteen residents were evacuated from the scene as authorities battled the blaze.
The homeowner, surnamed Law, told Apple Daily that his ID documents, furniture, and other electronic appliances were destroyed in the fire. The power bank that caught fire was said to be an unknown brand from mainland China, which Law brought from Apliu Street in Shum Shui Po about a year ago.
Apliu Street is famous for its flea market selling cheap and secondhand electronics.
Charging portable power banks overnight and unattended should be avoided, and one should take note if the power bank starts overheating or appears to swell, as these are signs that it might explode, according to Apple Daily.
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