Melting phone a wake-up call

MARK TAYLOR/Waikato Times

MELTED MOMENTS: The cellphone which burnt a hole in the pillow of Hamilton teen Olivia Bell asit was charging overnight.

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A molten mess is all that's left of a cellphone that caught fire while charging in the bed of Hamilton teen Olivia Bell.

The cellphone burnt a hole in the pillow, and Olivia's mother is warning others to keep phones at a safe distance.

Angela Bell was woken by 15-year-old Olivia's screams about 10pm on Tuesday night. Mrs Bell ran into Olivia's room where the strong smell of smoke led her to inside her daughter's pillow case where the cell phone was charging.

The phone had melted as Olivia slept, burning a hole in the pillow and melting the charger plug.

Mrs Bell said the incident left her daughter shaken. "She was just a mess, absolutely traumatised."

Olivia was "addicted" to her phone and was now looking to borrow another so she could keep in touch with friends. But Mrs Bell said she would be more careful in future.

"I think the lesson she learned was how dangerous these things can be and, if you're going to charge it, keep it down (away from the bed)."

Mrs Bell said it was likely other teenagers were sleeping close to their phones and they needed to be aware of the risks.

Mrs Bell was encouraging Olivia to show her friends the charred remains of the phone in an effort to avoid it happening to someone else.

First Mobile Hamilton regional manager Erin Wilson said leaving a phone to charge in a pillow case was "the worst thing you can possibly do".

Mrs Wilson said phones should not be left to charge for more than two hours because they could overheat.

- © Fairfax NZ News