This is not something we have unheard of, however, a recent incident of an iPhone charger bursting into flames has sparked caution. A 17-year old girl named Amie from Birmingham, UK had just fallen asleep at 2 in the morning when the Lightning cable connected to her charging iPhone caught fire. She appears to have placed the smartphone right beside her and noticed flames on her blanket.
The flame then caught her face and caused minor but sore burns on her cheek. She rushed down to her mother to act upon the situation. Her mother put out the fire without the need for fire service.
Let’s understand all of this straight from her words as detailed it to the source of this report, Birmingham Mail:
I lay down for around five minutes to close my eyes to fall asleep…. (then) I could see flashing orange colours. I woke up and ran downstairs and shouted my mom.
“There was no need for the fire service to attend as my mom had managed to put the fire out herself.
“I would just like to spread the word to please make sure people take note – it could have been a lot worse.
Source: Birmingham Mail
It appears that she was using a charger from another brand however the lightning cable use an original Apple accessory. She urged users to refrain from charging their phones overnight. We believe the main issue here could be her wall socket or a third-party charging brick from a questionable brand considering she was using a genuine Apple charging cable.
Post the dangerous incident, Amie took over to Facebook to express her terrifying experience. She wrote:
So 2am this morning I was lying down as you do on my phone. Plugged in my charger and it set alight.
“My bed cover/duvet set on fire and also caught my face. This isn’t even a cheap charger, it’s an Apple charger. Please don’t go to bed and leave your phone charging overnight.
“If I was asleep this could have been a lot worse and this could have set my whole family home up with all my family in …
“Please be aware that this can happen to anyone and could be a lot worse. It’s dangerous.
Source: Birmingham Mail
Apple’s advice
Apple responded to this debacle by stating they take safety very seriously and advise users to follow safe charging practices. Apple currently is investigating this tragic occurrence and is in touch with her. One of the very important pieces of advice from Apple is to avoid charging the phone in poorly ventilated spaces or places where moisture is presently leading to a fire hazard.