People are being reminded to be extremely careful when charging their electronic devices, with Newstalk's Jess Kelly sharing her own frightening experience of a melting cable.
Jess went home from work earlier this week, and recognised the smell of burning plastic in her bedroom but couldn't find where it was coming from.
She discussed what happened on this week's episode of Tech Talk.
She said: "I opened the window, I sat down on the bed... and I was reading away, happy out.
"After about 15 minutes or so, I went to move the pillow behind me... and it was roasting hot. Not only was it roasting hot, but it was stuck to the bed.
"I jumped up and there it was - a phone charging cable, or the remainders of a phone charging cable. It had basically burned through my bed and my pillow.
"To say I got a fright is an understatement - it really shook me."
Remainder of the chargerJess said she's usually very careful about these things, but believes she must have thrown the cable down on the bed without realising when leaving the house.
'It's becoming more common'
Dublin Fire Brigade Station Officer Darren O’Connor says such experiences are not at all uncommon.
He said: "We've well documented some of these incidents on our social media platforms.
"It's becoming more common with the more electronic devices that are being brought into the home."
He explained that even when there's no device attached to the charger, it's still acting as a transformer.
Darren urged people to use the charger that comes with the device.
He observed: "Regularly inspect your devices and charger - if you think there's excess heat on it, bring it to a reputable store, and have it checked.
"Don't carry out repairs [yourself]... if cables are frayed, it can still produce enough of a spark from the heat to cause a fire."
He said it's a 'complete no-no' to charge devices when they're sitting on the likes of beds or sofas - instead, people should use a non-combustible surface such as a counter-top in the kitchen or a hard wooden table with glass covering.
He also encouraged people to fully roll out their cables, as rolled up cables can lead to heat build-up and therefore fires.
