ATLANTA — Safety officials in Georgia and across the country are urging people to take precautions with devices powered by lithium-ion batteries during National Fire Prevention Week.

This year’s Fire Prevention Week, which runs from Oct. 4 through Oct. 10, focuses on lithium-ion batteries found in common devices including phones, tablets and power tools.

Kelly Ransdell with the National Fire Protection Association says people should watch for warning signs while their devices are charging.

“If you have a device and it gets really hot, if it smells weird, it changes color or changes shape, make sure that you take that away from anything that can burn,” Ransdell said.

Ransdell recommends unplugging devices once they are fully charged, including batteries used for power tools.

“A lot of times they’ll leave one battery in the charger and use one, but actually they’re designed to put them on the charger, get to 100%, and then take them off,” Ransdell said.

People should also use the cable or charger that came with their device. If it needs to be replaced, Ransdell recommends getting one approved by the manufacturer.

Ransdell also warns against falling asleep with devices while they are charging because the batteries heat up during the charging process. She recommends charging them on a hard surface.

Air travelers are also being urged to keep devices powered by lithium-ion batteries in sight and easily accessible.

“Because unfortunately e-cigarettes, vapes, and portable chargers, have created the most problems when they overheat in flight,” Ransdell said.

WSB Radio’s Ashley Simmons & Lisa Nicholas contributed to this story.