Portable Charger Explosion Leaves Reporter Injured

A freelance reporter in Los Angeles had a terrifying morning recently when her portable charger unexpectedly exploded. The incident resulted in chemical burns on her arm, singed hair, and damage to her bed.

“Just a heads-up to anyone using portable chargers: STOP,” Ashley Nebel mentioned in a video she shared on social media. “My bed literally exploded. Everything caught fire. My mattress is burnt with holes in it. I had nowhere to sleep.”

Nebel indicated that she had an emergency fire blanket, a thoughtful gift from her father, which she believes played a crucial role in preventing further injury, as reported by KCAL-TV.

“Please, just stop using portable chargers,” she urged. “The place smells like smoke. We have to clean the entire apartment to eliminate the toxic residues. It’s really bad in there. Just have a fire blanket ready. It honestly saved my life, and I’m grateful to be here.”

After her hospital visit, she added, “Another frightening detail is that my cell phone was charging at the time. The charger exploded and overheated, making it impossible for me to call 911.” She described how the explosion woke her up at 5 a.m., prompting her to leap from her balcony and shout for help.

“Thankfully, my neighbors were amazing,” she recounted, noting that emergency services arrived within three minutes.

Nebel suggested that it might be prudent to outright ban portable chargers on airplanes. “What if I were on a plane when that happened? What do you do then?” she reflected. “A small charger could put everyone at risk, and honestly, I never thought it could happen to me.”

She acknowledged that she had relied on portable chargers for years but emphasized how unexpected this incident was. “I’m just thankful it wasn’t worse. Yes, throw those chargers away,” she concluded.