West Melbourne Mayor Hal Rose and his wife, Sue, smelled something burning in their house all day Monday but couldn't figure out where it was coming from.
And it was getting stronger.
- Electronic device caught fire in West Melbourne mayor's home
- Device was never-used external battery charger
- Mayor wants to warn others who may take it on a plane
A washing machine repairman had been there that day but wasn't working on an electrical issue.
Rose brought a fire extinguisher just in case.
Then they woke up Tuesday morning to a scary mess — an electronic device stored in a dresser drawer had caught fire while they slept.
"It looked like something had blown up in there. There were fragments all over the place," Rose said. "It was scary. It looked like when you were a kid and used firecrackers to blow something up."
The culprit: a Power Bank external battery charger, never used, still in the box.
The fire left charred remains and burned items around it.
Rose said he can't imagine what would have happened if one of the chargers had an issue on a plane.
"Have it in your carry-on bag, pretty dangerous," he said.
The mayor said he got the charger about a year ago at an event. Now he just wants to inform others who might own one.
"I'm concerned of what is going to happen with other people," Rose said.
DGL Group, the charger's manufacturer, has not yet replied to a request for comment. There are no current recalls on the product.