Apple is currently investigating the cause of the explosion of an iPhone 6 owned by an 11-year-old California girl. The device is said to have “exploded” while being used to watch YouTube videos. Luckily, the child avoided any serious injury.
23ABC in Bakersfield reports Kayla Ramos was using her iPhone 6 in a sister’s bedroom when the fire took place, she was hold the device when it caught fire. When she saw “sparks flying everywhere” from the iPhone, Ramos threw it onto a nearby blanket.
Raos said that she did burn herself, but the main damage was to the blanket and bed, which received burn marks and holes where the iPhone landed. The iPhone 6 itself now shows the display channel is separated from the main body, with a large number of burn marks on the indise of the device (as seen in the photo at the top of this article).
Mother Maria Adata told 23ABC “My child could have caught on fire and she could have been hurt more and I am glad she’s ok.” Adata added she would no longer sleep with it nearby, suggesting “I know we charge it a lot, maybe that caused it, maybe it overheated.”
Apple is said to have told Adata that there are a few factors that could cause the iPhone to overheat, including the use of unauthorized charging cables and chargers. Such accessories are believed to have caused some of the previously reported iPhone fires.
The Cupertino firm also said unauthorized Apple repairs and external damage to an iPhone can also cause battery failure.
Apple is reported to be investigating the Ramos incident and has requested photographs form her mother. The company says it is willing to send the girl a replacement iPhone once the damaged device has been sent to them for inspection.
iPhone fires are few and far between, but they can happen, as smartphone fires are one of the known risks in using lithium-ion batteries to power the devices. In December 2018, an iPhone XS Max caught fire after overheating on an Ohio man’s pocket.
