Apple is investigating a report of an iPhone 6 that exploded in the hands of an 11-year-old girl in California, partially burning her.
“I was sitting down, and I had my phone in my hand and then I saw sparks flying everywhere and I just threw it on a blanket,” Kayla Ramos told 23ABC. “I was right here on the bed and the phone managed to burn through this blanket and make these holes.”
Ramos said that she burned herself, but thankfully, it was the blanket and bed that sustained most of the damage. She said that she mostly only uses the smartphone to watch YouTube videos.
The iPhone 6, meanwhile, was charred and nearly unrecognizable. The device had partially disassembled, with the display panel separated from the body and burn marks everywhere.
Maria Adata, Kayla’s mother, called Apple Support the following day, and was instructed to send photos of the destroyed iPhone 6 and to mail it in. She was then told that Apple is investigating the incident, and that a new iPhone will be shipped to her as a replacement.
According to Apple, there are a few factors that may cause an iPhone to overheat and catch fire, as it did in this case. One is using unauthorized products with the device, such as third-party charging cables. Unauthorized repairs and external damage may also cause an explosion. Ramos, however, said that none of these applied to her.
The incident, however, has a silver lining for Ramos. “It hasn’t been that bad,” she said. “I mean I have been able to hang out with my sisters and my family more.”
The reason behind the iPhone 6 bursting into flames has not yet been identified, and Apple has not yet publicly commented on the incident.
The new case of an iPhone explosion follows similar incidents last year, including one in May when an iPhone was caught on surveillance video suddenly exploding and catching fire in a store in Las Vegas. In December, a three-week-old iPhone XS Max reportedly caught fire while in the back pocket of its owners’ pants, emitting green and yellow smoke while burning his skin.
