NSW uni student's arm 'torched' after phone charger explodes

A NSW university student is urging people to check their phone chargers after his exploded while he slept, leaving him with serious burns.

Ollie Anderson, 21, borrowed the device from his friend about three weeks ago to charge his phone overnight.

He woke up abruptly some time later.

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"I looked down and the whole side of my body is kind of engulfed in flames," Anderson told 2GB's Ben Fordham.

"I freaked out, jumped up, I thought I might burn the whole college down."

He said he didn't even realise he had been burned for several minutes when somebody told him his arm looked "kinda torched".

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Anderson was left with very painful burns along nearly the full length of his right arm.

"I think I am pretty lucky, you look at it and think that's probably the best case scenario," he said.

"It could have been a lot worse."

The Armidale resident treks into the hospital every two days for the nurses to peel off the dying skin and treat his wounds.

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Luckily, no skin grafts were needed.

The charger in question was a Zap Pad from Australian company Zip Zap.

It was among a number of the company's chargers that were subject to a recall last year, with the company confirming it had sent out several emails to customers.

The recall covered Zap Pads purchased from October 15, 2023, to December 27, 2023.

Anderson said his friend's father, who originally bought the charger, did not recall receiving an email.

Anderson said the company had been good to deal with as he and his friend chased up some answers, but that he was struggling a bit overall - particularly with completing his current exams.

"I wouldn't say I was too happy, it's made life pretty hard," he said.

"You don't realise how much you need to bend your right arm until you can't.

"I don't even charge my phone at night anymore."

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