It is part of our nightly ritual. We scroll through TikTok, check emails, set the alarm, and then plug the phone in. Then, we drift off to sleep. For many of us, the phone lands on the mattress, or worse, gets tucked under the pillow so we can hear the alarm. It feels harmless. But Fire Marshals across the country are issuing urgent warnings: this common habit is a major fire hazard. You are sleeping next to a heat source that is desperate for air, and you are suffocating it.
We need to understand the physics of why this happens. It isn’t just about faulty cords; it’s about how modern batteries function and why your comfortable bedding is the perfect fuel for a disaster.
