A portable charger caught fire inside an i-CABLE News reporting van in Cheung Sha Wan on 9 October as a 27-year-old cameraman used it to charge his phone. The fire happened outside 165 Un Chau Street in the late morning.
The cameraman suffered burns to his hand and around his waist and legs. He was conscious and taken by ambulance to Caritas Medical Centre. The van’s seat was also burned.
Investigators’ preliminary assessment was that a short circuit in the charger caused the fire. They said there was no evidence of criminal involvement at that stage.
The Consumer Council, which tested 15 portable chargers earlier in 2026, advises keeping a charger between 20 and 80 per cent for everyday use and unplugging it after charging. For long-term storage, it recommends leaving the charge at about 60 per cent and keeping the charger in a cool, dry place. Stop using one that swells, deforms, becomes unusually hot or charges inconsistently. Before disposing of a charger, tape over its connector and put it in a designated rechargeable-battery collection box.