Cell Phone Fire Seriously Injures Bay Area Man

[Guest guest]

My son's cell phone had to be tossed after the battery got boiling hot when it was recharging, (after it originally got wet it became damaged). I was worried it would catch fire. Nicki

http://www.nbc11.com/news/10753602/detail.html

Cell Phone Fire Seriously Injures Bay Area Man

 

POSTED: 12:00 pm PST January 15, 2007

UPDATED: 5:29 pm PST January 16, 2007

 

 

 

VALLEJO, Calif. -- Vallejo Fire Department spokesman Bill Tweedy said Monday that Saturday's incident involving a man who was seriously burned after his cell phone caught fire and ignited his clothing is not that unusual. "There have been a couple other cases in California in the past few years," Tweedy said. "It's no different than any other fires involving mechanical or electrical items," Tweedy said. A 16-year-old girl suffered second-degree burns when her cell phone in her back pocket caught fire, the Ontario, Calif., Fire Department reported in June 2004. An incident in May 2004 in New Paltz, N.Y., lent credibility to the suspicion that a cell phone could ignite a fire at a gas pump. A 21-year-old student was filling up at the pump when his phone rang. When he answered it a large flash occurred at the nozzle and started a fire. Thousands of counterfeit LG-branded cell phone batteries were recalled in June 2004 because they could overheat and pose a fire hazard, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The 59-year-old resident of The Travelers Hotel on Georgia Street in Vallejo suffered second- and third-degree burns on half his body Saturday night when his cell phone caught fire and ignited his clothing and the plastic chair he was sitting in, the Vallejo Fire Department reported. A sprinkler confined the fire to the immediate area and firefighters found Luis Picaso on the floor of the bathroom. Tweedy said Monday Picaso is in stable condition at the UC Davis Medical Center. The Vallejo fire department sent NBC11 a photo of the damage from the fire (see upper right). It showed a charred piece of carpet and what is left of a chair that also caught fire. Fifteen firefighters responded to the blaze that caused $75,000 in fire and water damage to Picaso's room and a business on the ground floor, Tweedy said. Tweedy said it's possible a button on the phone inside Picaso's pocket was depressed for a long time causing overheating, a short circuit or other malfunction. Tweedy said he has heard of cell phones heating up even after they were shut off. "The phones get warm after you've been talking for a long time and the powerful batteries in them can overheat," Tweedy said. Tweedy did not want to identify the manufacturer or model of the phone for legal liability reasons. "It was a freak accident. It just happened and could happen anytime," he said. More Resources:

 

 

Cell Phone Battery Tips For Staying Safe

[Guest guest]

A patient of mine had brain surgery twice to remove a large tumour exactly where he held his cell phone for prolonged periods. He said his surgeon told him the cause.

 

Jane

 

 

Misty

 

 

My son's cell phone had to be tossed after the battery got boiling hot when it was recharging, (after it originally got wet it became damaged). I was worried it would catch fire. Nicki

http://www.nbc11.com/news/10753602/detail.html

Cell Phone Fire Seriously Injures Bay Area Man

 

POSTED: 12:00 pm PST January 15, 2007

UPDATED: 5:29 pm PST January 16, 2007

 

 

 

VALLEJO, Calif. -- Vallejo Fire Department spokesman Bill Tweedy said Monday that Saturday's incident involving a man who was seriously burned after his cell phone caught fire and ignited his clothing is not that unusual. "There have been a couple other cases in California in the past few years," Tweedy said. "It's no different than any other fires involving mechanical or electrical items," Tweedy said. A 16-year-old girl suffered second-degree burns when her cell phone in her back pocket caught fire, the Ontario, Calif., Fire Department reported in June 2004. An incident in May 2004 in New Paltz, N.Y., lent credibility to the suspicion that a cell phone could ignite a fire at a gas pump. A 21-year-old student was filling up at the pump when his phone rang. When he answered it a large flash occurred at the nozzle and started a fire. Thousands of counterfeit LG-branded cell phone batteries were recalled in June 2004 because they could overheat and pose a fire hazard, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The 59-year-old resident of The Travelers Hotel on Georgia Street in Vallejo suffered second- and third-degree burns on half his body Saturday night when his cell phone caught fire and ignited his clothing and the plastic chair he was sitting in, the Vallejo Fire Department reported. A sprinkler confined the fire to the immediate area and firefighters found Luis Picaso on the floor of the bathroom. Tweedy said Monday Picaso is in stable condition at the UC Davis Medical Center. The Vallejo fire department sent NBC11 a photo of the damage from the fire (see upper right). It showed a charred piece of carpet and what is left of a chair that also caught fire. Fifteen firefighters responded to the blaze that caused $75,000 in fire and water damage to Picaso's room and a business on the ground floor, Tweedy said. Tweedy said it's possible a button on the phone inside Picaso's pocket was depressed for a long time causing overheating, a short circuit or other malfunction. Tweedy said he has heard of cell phones heating up even after they were shut off. "The phones get warm after you've been talking for a long time and the powerful batteries in them can overheat," Tweedy said. Tweedy did not want to identify the manufacturer or model of the phone for legal liability reasons. "It was a freak accident. It just happened and could happen anytime," he said. More Resources:

 

 

Cell Phone Battery Tips For Staying Safe