Own the Anker 535 Power Bank? It May Burst Into Flames
Popular accessories manufacturer Anker has issued a voluntary recall after it discovered one of its power banks can overheat and set on fire.
Anker is urging all customers(Opens in a new window) who own the Anker 535 Power Bank (PowerCore 20K) A1366 to check their model isn't at risk. This can be done by looking at the bottom of the battery to see if it carries the A1366 model number. If it does, stop using the power bank immediately and find somewhere safe to store it.
If you're wondering how big of a risk these power banks pose, look no further than Maryland last week where the 535 was classed as the "most probable cause" of a house fire in the Leitersberg area. As the Herald-Mail(Opens in a new window) reports (via MacRumors(Opens in a new window)), firefighters discovered the Anker power bank had been stored inside a suitcase—there was nothing else in the suitcase capable of causing a fire.
Anker believes only a small number of the power banks are at risk of overheating due to a "manufacturing condition." If you do own one, Anker is offering a full refund(Opens in a new window) and requests you "dispose of your device at a facility that accepts Lithium batteries."
It's not known exactly how many 535 power banks suffer from the manufacturing condition fault, but they were widely sold as customer service phone numbers are listed for the US, UK, and Germany. There's also links on the recall page for places to safely recycle them in the US, UK, Germany, and France.
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