Man claims iPhone 7 burst into flames in his car
A surfer from the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia, has captured footage of the aftermath of a car fire he claims was caused by his week-old iPhone 7 on Thursday.
Mat Jones told media outlets he wrapped the phone in some clothes on the seat of his car, while he went for a surf. By the time he returned, his vehicle was severely fire damaged.
Jones is adamant the flaming Apple product was responsible for the starting the blaze, telling 7 News he had not damaged the phone or used a dodgy charger since buying the new model.
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"Here's the phone. Total burnout," he says in the video he recorded of the incident.
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"As I look into my car you could not see inside the car. All the windows were just black," he said according to the news program. "Ash was coming from inside the pants. Once you unwrapped the pants, the phone was just melting inside of it."
While there's currently no evidence to suggest that the iPhone 7 "exploded" as some publications are claiming, it wouldn't be the first alleged explosion on record, the most recent Australian example being when a Sydney man fell off his bike and onto his butt, claiming his iPhone exploded on impact like a "mini bomb."
Overcharging, puncturing or otherwise severely damaging the phone are all possible reasons why an iPhone 7 might catch fire.
Chances of this happening could very well be heightened if the phone were placed in an excessively hot environment, such as in the back of a hot car on an Australian beach.
Apple has confirmed to Mashable that they are aware of Mat Jones' complaint and are investigating the incident.
Jerico Mandybur is the editor of Mashable Australia. Previously, she worked as a digital editor at SBS, Oyster Mag, MTV and ASOS. Tweet her at @jerico_m.
