A firefighter in the Pennsylvanian town of East Brandywine experienced a close call with his iPhone 4 earlier this month, according to a post on the East Brandywine Fire Company's website.

toastyiphonesm

While charging the phone using the Apple provided computer connection, the phone spontaneously caught fire.

After the phone fell to the floor igniting the carpet, the phone was thrown out a nearby window.

Despite the phone being relatively small it produced a large volume of smoke and a noxious smell.

The department notes that the phone has been sent to Apple headquarters in California so the company's engineers can investigate the exact cause of the fire.

This isn't the first time an iPhone has caught fire, but the incidents appear to be unrelated. Earlier this year, Apple initiated a worldwide replacement program for the first-generation iPod Nano, which, in rare cases, could overheat and pose a safety risk to users.

Top Rated Comments

Quazimojo Avatar
177 months ago
Maybe Apple really does have a kill switch built into the phones..

And it really means KILL the phone :eek:
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
powers74 Avatar
177 months ago
"I threw it on the GROOOUND!!!"
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cjr605 Avatar
177 months ago
Does it make me a blind fanboy or just naive to think that this happens to electronics all the time but this case gets reported because it is Apple?

I don't know if it is right to assume that this is being reported just "because it is Apple." I would assume that a website dedicated to delivering Apple news might end up posting something about an Apple device doing this.

And, like the person above me posted, there are other incidents of phone malfunctions which have received press.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
emaja Avatar
177 months ago
Does it make me a blind fanboy or just naive to think that this happens to electronics all the time but this case gets reported because it is Apple?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BlueHedgehog Avatar
177 months ago
Despite the phone being relatively small it produced a large volume of smoke and a noxious smell.
Was that the "neurotoxin"? (Portal reference)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
echo2011 Avatar
177 months ago
This is a comforting thing to know when charging my phone overnight.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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