Phone charging is blamed for the Butler County fire, prompting a warning from first responders

ADAMS TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) – A fire station in Butler County is warning people to be careful where they charge their phones after one hidden in a couch started a fire.

The Adams Area Fire District, which includes Adams Township, Mars, Valencia and Seven Fields, said they were dispatched around 1:20 a.m. Wednesday to a fire in a bedroom of a home on Pearce Road.

Fire officials said first responders got to the scene quickly and the fire was confined to a sofa in the bedroom. The investigation determined that the fire was caused by a rechargeable cell phone hidden between a pillow and a blanket.

According to the Adams Area Fire District, this fire is an example of why you should charge your devices on hard, flat, well-ventilated surfaces.

“Chargers on soft surfaces can trap heat generated by the battery while charging and ignite mattresses, bedding, pillows and sheets,” the fire department wrote in a Facebook post.

They say you should never charge your devices on upholstered furniture or in bed, especially when you’re sleeping. And you should never put your charging phone under your pillow, the fire department says.

Fortunately, when the cell phone set the sofa on fire, residents were quickly alerted to the fire, according to the fire department, and first responders rushed to the scene to prevent serious damage and casualties.

“We ask all of our residents to follow the advice of the manufacturer, the NFPA and us: DO NOT LEAVE CHARGING ELECTRONICS ON SOFT SURFACES OR IN BED WITH YOU!” the fire station wrote.