January 16, 2007
Cellphone ignites fire, severely burns owner and hotel room
It's been a while since we've read about a cell phone exploding, usually due to faulty or counterfeit batteries. But yesterday Engadgetmobile reported on a new incident whereby a 59 year old man was severely burned when a cellphone in his pocket caught fire and burned up his hotel room.
"Over half of Luis's body is said to be severely burned; damages to the building totaled over $75,000. Other details are still slim -- like what kind of phone and battery he was using".
Picture left is a screen capture from a CBS video interview interview with the Fire Chief on the scene. Conjecture is that the gentleman fell asleep in a plastic chair, and probably his cell phone leaned against the arm of the chair, pressing on the keys - which caused the battery to heat up. It ignited and set fire to his nylon windbreaker.
Links to related incidents around the world.
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