Alex Trelinski
AN EXPLOSION of a mobile phone battery left to charge overnight caused Sunday’s fire in Guillena(Sevilla province) which killed four members of a family.
Experts reached the conclusion that the fire started on the ground floor of the two storey home.
Investigators located the start of the fire on the living room sofa, with the remains of a mobile phone that that had been left on top of it.
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After the phone battery overheated and exploded, the resulting fire started on the sofa which burned immediately-acting as a dispersing element of the blaze.
Manuel Blanco from the Sevilla Provincial Council Fire Department said the combustion occurred as a result of the battery ‘which is usually made from lithium’ and ‘transformed chemical energy into electricity’.
Blanco added that what happened could be related to ‘an uncontrolled chemical reaction’ and warned people to be careful to ensure that ‘the mobile does not get too hot’.
He said phone owners should follow the manufacturer’s advice on charging times.
“If the mobile charges in five hours, you should not leave it plugged in overnight,” he warned.
It was the second most-deadly fire in Spain this year, following February’s apartment block disaster in Valencia where 10 people died.
The deceased were named as Jose Antonio Rendon, 47, his wife, Antonia Hidalgo, 52, and their sons Jose Antonio, 20, and Adrian, 16.
Their bodies were found together in the back of the house, as if they had tried to go out to a terrace to access the staircase which have led them to the roof.
Guillena mayor, Lorenzo Medina Moya, said: “There are no words… it is a sad day for the whole town, a tragedy.”
