A wild story recently blew up on X (formerly Twitter) in Japan: A user shared a terrifying, yet bizarre, experience after their bag suddenly started heating up from the bottom. The culprit? A pack of Hi-Chew fruit chews and some dry cell batteries, perfectly aligned in their bag, causing a short circuit and generating serious heat! After they posted photos, netizens were absolutely floored, exclaiming, "It really could have caught fire!" The post instantly went viral.
According to the user, the Hi-Chew wrappers, made of aluminum foil, had lined up perfectly with the exposed positive and negative terminals of the dry cell batteries. This created a "simple circuit" that generated high temperatures. Luckily, the batteries were almost dead.
After the post gained traction, many chimed in, saying, "It really can catch fire!" and "I've seen survival hacks using dry batteries and aluminum foil to start fires before." One user even joked, "You basically reenacted a U.S. military survival manual right there in your bag!"
Plenty of other netizens shared similar close calls: "My gum and battery in my uniform pocket started smoking when I was a student." "I once short-circuited a button battery with a necklace; it got so hot I dropped it." "Someone put a used battery and an aluminum can in the trash, and it actually caught fire." Many also warned that whether it's dry cell or lithium batteries, you should never carry them loose. To stay safe, always use a battery case or tape over the positive terminal to prevent accidents.
Even international users weighed in, with one commenting, "This kind of thing is one of the main causes of explosions on planes; never just toss them in your bag." Sounds like this has actually happened before.
While this incident ended without harm, it was seriously dangerous. Whether it's Hi-Chew wrappers, gum wrappers, aluminum foil, or any small metal object, if it touches the positive and negative terminals of a battery, you risk a short circuit, overheating, or even a fire. So next time you're out and about or traveling, make sure to keep these safety tips in mind!
via： togetter