Health Canada is investigating after a portable power bank used to charge cell phones caught fire and scorched the floor of a Vancouver Island home.
Marina Winkler of Metchosin, B.C., located approximately 20 kilometres southwest of Victoria, says she plugged the power bank into a wall outlet to charge, and when she came back to check up on it she saw “smoke and a little flame" coming from the device.
"I unplugged it and stepped on the flame and basically just left that on the ground because I didn't want to touch it," Winkler told CTV Vancouver Island.
"Had I not been quick on my toes, this could've been our home.”
The fire completely melted the device and left a burn mark on Winkler’s floor. She says she isn’t sure what caused the fire and that she hasn’t had an issue with the product since purchasing it more than six months ago.
Health Canada says it has not received any other complaints and has not issued a recall for the device, but is looking into Winkler’s case to see if they need to take further action.
Tzumi Electronics, the manufacturer of the power bank, says it also wants to investigate.
"We take the quality of our products and the consumer's safety very seriously," the company said in a statement. “Our battery cells are put through rigorous safety testing by accredited laboratories during production cycles. We're truly sorry for this experience and would love the opportunity to research and understand what happened in this case."
With a report from CTV Vancouver Island’s Yvonne Raymond
