What started as a normal Saturday morning nearly turned into a nightmare.
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Ashley Nevel, an NBA reporter and analyst known for her basketball commentary online, says a portable phone charger suddenly exploded in her Los Angeles apartment last weekend. And the damage could have been much worse.
Nevel said the incident happened in her Woodland Hills bedroom just seconds after she plugged her phone into the portable charger.
Ashley Nevel (Credit: Instagram / ashleynevel)
"I put my phone down for literally five seconds," she said, via CBS News. "And the charger exploded."
The blast immediately set her bed on fire and left her with chemical burns on her arm. With flames spreading in the room and her phone overheating, Nevel tried grabbing a blanket to smother the fire. It did not work.
Then she remembered something her father had given her as a housewarming gift. Namely, a fire blanket. Nevel ran to the kitchen, grabbed it and threw it over the flames.
"It stopped the fire immediately," she said.
After putting out the flames, she rushed to her balcony and yelled for help while asking neighbors to call 911.
The explosion left Nevel with limited mobility in one of her thumbs, making it difficult to grip objects. Still, she says she feels lucky. Her goal now is to warn others.
Portable chargers powered by lithium-ion batteries are everywhere, but Nevel says most people never consider the risks.
"I could have died," she said. "I just pray this doesn't happen to anyone else."
