Girl burned when cell phone catches fire

Friday, July 2, 2004 Posted: 0215 GMT (1015 HKT)

 

A cell phone and jeans pocket are charred after the phone suddenly caught fire Thursday.

 

(CNN) -- A 16-year-old California girl suffered second degree burns Thursday when her cell phone caught fire in her back pocket, according to the Ontario Fire Department.

 

The teenager was volunteering at an Ontario youth recreation center when witnesses heard a loud "whooshing" sound, said Frank Huddleston, a fire department investigator.

 

Huddleston said the victim didn't even know what was happening, and witnesses said they thought it was fireworks.

 

Witness then saw her pocket explode with smoke and fire, he said.

 

The girl was in a kitchen and near a pot of water, so the flames were quickly extinguished, Huddleston said.

 

The victim was transported to Chino Valley Medical Center where she was treated and released with small second-degree burns to her right buttock.

 

The phone is a Verizon Kyocera, but because of damage investigators could not tell the model number.

 

Ontario is east of Los Angeles near San Bernardino.

Man, rough.

Getting a second degree burn on your ass must be pretty gnarly. How can she sit?

Ouch!

i knew verizon was the devil.

I saw a company recalling cell phone batteries on the news.

damn, sucks for her.

I would say somethiogn that started with a P, but thought better of it.

 

Hope she gets better soon.

There's been a number of explosions/fires at gas stations because of them too. Not something to have in your pocket in a potentially explosive atmosphere like right next to your fill spout when filling the tank.

 

Think about it - without a vapor recovery system (none here in FL), all that gas going in the tank displaces vapor laden air that has to come out somewhere...

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That's a myth. Ever seen the show mythbusters? They tackle it there.

 

However, a real threat is people getting in and out of their cars while pumping gas, getting a static charge from their seats, and sparking on the gas pump. WOOSH. Flames.