iPhone Allegedly Catches Fire in Teenager’s Pocket

Apple is in the news yet again, and not for the right reasons this time. A 13-year-old girl in Maine, US suffered first- and second-degree burns as her iPhone spontaneously caught fire while in her pocket.

According to a report by WMTW.com, as the teenager sat down in class, she heard a pop and soon smoke started emanating from her pants. As her pants caught fire, three of her classmates help her, while a teacher brought a fire extinguisher and blanket to put out the flames.

The student was then taken to Southern Maine Medical Centre in order to treat the burns she suffered from this incident. She has since been released from the hospital.

SeaCoastOnline.com reported that the fire administration’s “EMS division chief Andrew Palmeri said it appears that when the student sat down, with the phone in her back pocket, the phone’s battery ‘shorted out’. The state fire marshal is investigating.”

He also said “People should obviously use caution when placing their phones in their back pockets so as not to crush them and cause an electrical short”

This is not the first time an Apple gadget has spontaneously combusted. In November, an iPad demo unit in Australia exploded on its own accord and forced the evacuation of a store.

Such cases of Apple devices catching fire have been attributed to fake or third-party chargers in the past. In order to tackle this, the company has started a programme to exchange such chargers with authentic ones free of cost.

SRC:TOI

Related Images: