Local fire marshal helps in national recall of unsafe cellphone battery charger

FARMINGTON HILLS — A Farmington Hills fire marshal is credited with helping launch a nationwide investigation.

In February, the Fire Department received a call about a cellphone booster battery pack exploding and catching fire.

Jason  Baloga, a fire marshal with the department, said he wanted to personally oversee an investigation.

A resident was at home with his 2-year-old, and while doing dishes, the resident was charging a cellphone battery pack made of lithium-ion batteries.

“It overheated and exploded right next to him,” Baloga said. “It caught fire while he was doing dishes. (He) swept it into the sink and drowned it in some water. So with that story we wanted to do our fire investigation.”

The fire was out when crews arrived, and it caused minimal damage and no injuries. Baloga notified the  U.S. Consumer  Product Safety Commission nonetheless to determine if there were similar complaints and if a recall was needed.

Angie Ott, a safety investigator for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission began to work on the case, and last month, approximately five months into the investigation, Baloga learned that the product had been taken off of the market.

“She was able to work the case through her agency and ultimately ended up taking a faulty product off of the market, preventing any further injuries or fires throughout the community or even the country,” Baloga said. “We were able to confirm that there was a thermal event in that battery pack, and they used significant lab analysis to further study that product to determine if it was being used properly (and) if it had the correct charger. I believe they also conducted a field investigation at the location to rule out any other potential causes or anything that would cause a failure of that battery pack other than a manufacturer issue.”

The product, the Baseus Magnetic Wireless Charging Power Bank, was connected to at least 39 reported fires, 13 burn injuries and $20,000 in property damage, according to a press release from the city of Farmington Hills.

The product has sold over 130,000 units on Amazon and similar online marketplaces, the release states.

“Team members like Fire Marshal Baloga who take the time to report these types of incidents make a huge impact on the mission of CPSC and their communities,” Ott stated via email. “Consumers in Michigan and across the country have Fire Marshal Baloga and his collaboration efforts with CPSC to thank for their safety.”

Ott went to the Farmington Hills Fire Department Aug. 1 to thank him in person.

“We get a lot done through networking, and I think this was a special case where that Consumer Product Safety Commission investigator took time out of her day to thank us, so it’s worth showcasing,” Baloga said.

Baloga said lithium-ion batteries are part of daily life, and many fire chiefs and marshals are noting that fires are burning hotter and faster than they did in the past.

“So we’re trying to gather a lot of information on this to track it, but this is actually a combination of efforts between local, state — with the state fire marshal helping us gather data — and now a federal resource as well, with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,” Baloga said. “Even if it’s a small battery pack that has an issue, we really want to know about it, be able to identify that (and) collect the data to potentially take faulty products off the street. With the batteries, a lot are safe, but if you don’t utilize them properly – for example if you’re trying to charge a damaged battery pack – that could cause an issue, because the battery pack is already swelling or it smells.”

Baloga recommends people purchase devices that are listed by a qualified testing laboratory and always follow the manufacturer’s suggestions.

He also suggests not mixing and matching batteries and charging cords.

“Don’t just grab any old charging cord and plug it into your battery charger,” Baloga said. “(It) may not be rated for that specific battery, so that’s been a problem (that) can also occur.”

Don’t charge devices under pillows, on beds or couches; keep batteries at room temperature; don’t overchare them; and don’t place them next to a large quantity of combustibles.

Don’t charge a device if there is an odor or a change in the product’s color, if it starts to swell or change shape, or if it begins to leak or make odd noises.

“If you do have a bad battery, take it outside; don’t bring it back inside,” Baloga said. “And then you can call your local community on proper disposal. We don’t want that battery ending up in the trash. That can cause other issues.”

Potential resources for disposal include Oakland County NoHAZ, (248) 858-5656, and the Resource Recovery and Recycling Authority of Southwest Oakland County, (248) 208-2270, or call the Oakland County Health Division, (248) 858-1280.

Call 911 in case of a fire, and be sure to have a working smoke alarm on each level of a home, including in bedrooms.

Residents can get a free smoke alarm from the Farmington Hills Fire Department, and staff can install them. Call (248) 871-2800.

Baloga said that having a potentially dangerous product removed from the marketplace is a “success story.”

“It’s a conglomeration of effort between (the) state fire marshal’s office, us at the local level and then federal resources,” he said. “It boils down to the people of the community also notifying us of the event. … It was a home run on this one for us to get a faulty product out of people’s homes or off the street.”

To report unsafe products, visit saferproducts.gov/IncidentReporting. To search active recalls, visit cpsc.gov/Recalls. To receive new recall notifications, visit cpsc.gov/Newsroom/Subscribe.