Recharging batteries in a microwave oven

Australia's The Advertiser newspaper has reported that a Scarborough, Perth man was lucky to escape unharmed after he attempted to recharge his mobile phone - in a microwave phone.

The paper said that firefighters were called to the man's home in suburban Scarborough after the battery exploded inside the oven, causing smoke to pour out of the appliance.

NSW Fire Brigades Fire and Emergency Services district officer Alan Riley said the man was lucky not to have been injured in the incident, which caused about US$125 damage to the microwave.

"It's a timely reminder to people not to put things in the microwave other than food - and this includes phone batteries or using your microwave to dry your clothes," Mr Riley said.

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