iPhone 5c catches fire in student's pocket, causes second-degree burns [u]
A middle school student in Kennebunk, Maine was hospitalized late last week and treated for second-degree burns after an iPhone 5c tucked away in the student's pocket caught fire.

The iPhone 5c with charred rear casing after burning Source: The Portland Press Herald
Update: The handset was in the student's back pocket and made a "popping" noise when she sat down, reports USA Today. Fire officials tell the paper that they believe sitting on the phone cause it to "short out."
The 14-year-old female student was preparing for her first class of the day when the fire began, according to a report from the Portland Press Herald. The girl had received the green iPhone 5c as a gift two months earlier.
Jeff Rodman, the school's principal, told the publication that the first sign of trouble was when smoke began "billowing from around the student." "She knew right away something was wrong and, in a panic, knew her pants were on fire caused by the cellphone," he continued.
The girl immediately dropped to the ground and began rolling on the floor in an effort to extinguish the fire, the paper said. The phone was reportedly still smoldering as it fell from her pocket.
Emergency workers transported the student to a local hospital where she received care and was released after approximately 45 minutes.
Apple's handsets have been known to catch on fire before, though reports of such incidents are few and far between. Many of the cases --?such as that of an iPhone 4 that caught fire in-flight thanks to a botched screen replacement --?have been attributed to unauthorized repairs or third-party accessories.

The iPhone 5c with charred rear casing after burning Source: The Portland Press Herald
Update: The handset was in the student's back pocket and made a "popping" noise when she sat down, reports USA Today. Fire officials tell the paper that they believe sitting on the phone cause it to "short out."
The 14-year-old female student was preparing for her first class of the day when the fire began, according to a report from the Portland Press Herald. The girl had received the green iPhone 5c as a gift two months earlier.
Jeff Rodman, the school's principal, told the publication that the first sign of trouble was when smoke began "billowing from around the student." "She knew right away something was wrong and, in a panic, knew her pants were on fire caused by the cellphone," he continued.
The girl immediately dropped to the ground and began rolling on the floor in an effort to extinguish the fire, the paper said. The phone was reportedly still smoldering as it fell from her pocket.
Emergency workers transported the student to a local hospital where she received care and was released after approximately 45 minutes.
Apple's handsets have been known to catch on fire before, though reports of such incidents are few and far between. Many of the cases --?such as that of an iPhone 4 that caught fire in-flight thanks to a botched screen replacement --?have been attributed to unauthorized repairs or third-party accessories.
Comments
Fire in pocket, huh?
This could have been avoided:
When you crush your phone it is not "spontaneous". And it wasn't on fire.
You're crushing it wrong. ;-)
Perhaps is she wan't a LIAR she wouldn't have her pants on fire.
My palm Pr? always made my pocket hot. Though I would just pop the battery out for a bit when it did.
A middle school student in Kennebunk, Maine was hospitalized late last week and treated for second-degree burns after an iPhone 5c tucked away in the student's pocket spontaneously caught fire.
The girl immediately dropped to the ground and began rolling on the floor in an effort to extinguish the fire, the paper said. The phone was reportedly still smoldering as it fell from her pocket.
When you crush your phone it is not "spontaneous". And it wasn't on fire.
Hundred of millions of iPhones sold, and less than .0000001% have this issue. It seems most of those that did were in Asia and caused by people using 3rd party chargers of questionable origin and quality. I'm curious what the details are when the investigation is over.
I imagine they'd be causing the phone to undergo weird, intermittent structural stress as they shift around in their seat.
They didn't mention if the phone was in the butt pocket or a side pocket. So, if I suspect that she sat on the phone and caused a short, I would have no proof. I hope more info will come out so that we know what the cause was.
AppleInsider didn't do their homework. This article, from USA Today, clearly states that she heard a popping sound in her back pocket when sat down. That's where her iPhone was. I agree with TRRosen. This was not "spontaneous".
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/01/newser-iphone-fire/5101833/
AppleInsider didn't do their homework. This article, from USA Today, clearly states that she heard a popping sound in her back pocket when sat down. That's where her iPhone was. I agree with TRRosen. This was not "spontaneous".
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/01/newser-iphone-fire/5101833/
We demand more and more battery life from our phones with lots of features, so what we get is an incredible amount of stored energy sitting in our pockets. It will be scary if batteries with 4x or 10x capacity of the ones today come to market.
Even Boing Dreamliners have had issues.
"She knew right away something was wrong and, in a panic, knew her pants were on fire caused by the cellphone"
Perhaps is she wan't a LIAR she wouldn't have her pants on fire.
What lie?
Update: The handset was in the student's back pocket and made a "popping" noise when she sat down, reports USA Today. Fire officials tell the paper that they believe sitting on the phone cause it to "short out."
I knew.... nice try again...
What lie?
Liar liar pants on fire nose as long as a telephone wire
What lie?
"Liar, liar! Pants on Fire!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tAGIH3FGBU