iPhone 6 Plus Explodes In Student’s Back Pocket, Catches Fire During Lecture

Incidents of exploding gadgets and electronic items have become common in the last few weeks.  It began with exploding Samsung Galaxy Note 7 while the phones were connected to chargers, then came the news of explosions in Samsung washing machines. Now, it's the iPhone 6 Plus that exploded in a student's pocket and caught fire while he was in class.

David Hlavaty, a student of Rowan College in Burlington County, New Jersey, said that his iPhone 6 Plus exploded while it was kept in his back pocket. The accident burnt a hole in the pocket and the handset was completely ruined.

"Right as class was starting, my phone started smoking in my pocket. It was a fire," the student told 6ABC, further stating that he felt a "crazy, hot burning" in his leg.

Rebecca Bookbinder, a classmate of Hlavaty, witnessed the incident unfold and gave a statement to Tech Times about what had exactly happened. She said, "Out of nowhere, we heard a fizzing and a popping sound. Suddenly a great mass of smoke comes out from his pocket".

Hlavaty has claimed that the handset in question was owned by him for the last six months and did not have any problems or damage except for one crack. It is being speculated that since the phone was kept in the back pocket, Hlavaty may have sat on it, and lithium batteries present in such devices are susceptible to burst into flames in case they are mishandled.

Hlavaty had to throw his phone on the floor as it was "super hot" and had to be kicked away because it was on fire.

A school spokesperson has confirmed the news to be true. A teacher reported the incident to the public safety authorities around 9.45 a.m. The fire was already blown out when the public safety arrived but the smell of smoke was still there. The class was shifted to another room for the remaining lecture.

Apple said they can not comment on the matter right away, but assured that they will carry out a detailed investigation since consumer safety is most important. Apple's latest model, iPhone 7 also made headlines when it caught fire recently but it appears to be an isolated case.