MOSCOW, January 3. /TASS/. Smartphones with lithium-ion batteries should not be left charging for too long, in particular, all night, and by no means (contrary to what many do) put under the pillow, as this significantly increases the risk of fires. In January-November 2022 such gadgets caused more than 500 fires, says Rinat Yenikeyev, the director of the Department for Supervisory Activities and Preventive Measures at the Russian Emergencies Ministry.

"To prevent fires the recharging of smartphones and other gadgets must be carried out strictly in accordance with the operating instructions. True, modern smartphone models have an overcharge protection function. But if the phone is charged up to 100% and continues to be connected to the charger, the excessive strain on the batteries may still cause a fire," he told TASS.

Putting such gadgets under the pillow, especially when they are being charged, is very risky, because cooling does not occur at all.

At the end of December last year, there were several cases of power banks catching fire on board aircraft. On December 29, a portable charger of one of the passengers caught fire on a plane taxiing on the runway at Domodedovo Airport. The fire was extinguished by the crew. The next day, a plane en route from Khabarovsk to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky made an emergency landing at the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk airport when the power bank of one of the passengers went on fire. There were 112 people on board. Two passengers required medical attention.