Hello!

27 Comments

An 11-year-old boy had a very close call after a Samsung tablet burnt a hole in his bed while he slept.

Callum Hewkin had taken the gadget into his room so he could watch a programme in bed and had fallen asleep with the device next to him.

His parents awoke the next morning to find his room full of smoke and a big burn mark where the youngster’s head had been, reports Daily Mail.

His parents, Amy and Stewart Hewkin have spoken out about the terrifying ordeal, which fire crews said could have been fatal for the whole family.

Mrs Hewkin, 33, was woken by her son last Thursday morning, who believed his tablet was stuck to the bed, and with her husband, Mr Hewkin, 32, entered his room to discover the tablet – which was minutes away from catching fire.

The couple said the tablet had left a melted hole in his bedding and mattress to the metal springs.

device

They highlighted they had no idea their son had snuck the four-year-old gadget into his room after they went to bed, leaving it on charge for up to nine hours, as they enforce a strict no electricals at night rule.

Mr Hewkin said: ‘The last thing anyone wants is to wake up and find their child seriously injured or dead because a tablet or phone has set fire in their room.

‘We feel like we’ve had a lucky escape – Callum’s life could have been at risk.

‘We had no idea he even had his tablet in his room, he had snuck it into bed with him because he wanted to watch something in bed.’

Fire crews told Mr Hewkin had the gadget been left for another 10 minutes, it could have started a serious blaze which could even have been fatal for the whole family.

Callum, who was using the original charger with his device, has been left feeling stressed and anxious at school following the ordeal but miraculously escaped uninjured.

The couple has urged other parents to do another check on their kids to make sure they don’t have their tablets or phones with them in bed.

Share your comments below

Read more:

We may get commissions for purchases made using links in this post. Learn more.
  • items should never be left to charge on a bed. They need airflow. You should never allow your child to go to bed with an internet device anyway. They should all be left in the lounge or kitchen

    Reply

  • A lesson to be learnt for all. You cannot leave these things charging on flammable goods. Switch all off at bed time

    Reply

  • Yep, charging devices for long periods on soft flammable items is a danger. This news has been around for a while now

    Reply

  • Wow. That would have been scary. Our plan is to not have tablets for the kids to use :S

    Reply

  • our rule, electronic devices not in bedroom at night….

    Reply

  • I always unplug mt laptop while I am not using it. I only use it on a dining table or desk. I rarely charge my phone in my bedroom unless I have set the alarm

    Reply

  • This is dreadful – so pleased he wasn’t hurt in any way.

    Reply

  • It always seems to be Samsung. Hopefully it’s a timely reminder for people and good that no one got hurt.

    Reply

  • Imagine if that was on his little body. Far out, so scary.

    Reply

  • Wow, thank God everyone was okay. We also have a rule of no devices in the bedroom, and this is a good reminder why. We always charge on a stand in a general area. And I am always reminding the family not to overcharge as I’ve heard this can cause issues. A timely reminder for everyone.

    Reply

  • That’s crazy! I never thought they could catch on fire!

    Reply

  • I leave my phone or laptop on charge overnight but I always have the vent facing up so the surface doesn’t get too hot. I’ve gone to bed with my tablet and fallen asleep but never on charge. I’m just so glad Callum wasn’t injured in any way

    Reply

  • Argh! I often leave my tablet on charge overnight. Not on my bed, but it could cause a fire anywhere!

    Reply

  • You must never leave gadgets charging unattended EVER! We all know that laptops and tablets can get quite warm if you keep them on your lap, teach your kids to use them without the charger on and never on materials especially nylon or polyester that smolders really easily. Do a quick check and account for all gadgets before going to sleep, just like you check all doors are locked etc.

    Reply

  • So lucky for the family. These devices are never left on charge in my house overnight.

    Reply

Post a comment
Add a photo
Your MoM account


Lost your password?

Enter your email and a password below to post your comment and join MoM:

You May Like

Loading…

Looks like this may be blocked by your browser or content filtering.

↥ Back to top

Thanks For Your Star Rating!

Would you like to add a written rating or just a star rating?

Write A Rating Just A Star Rating
Join