Teen suffers second-degree burns after iPhone catches fire in pocket

A 13-year-old girl from Maine has suffered first and second degree burns after her iPhone caught fire in her pocket. The smartphone allegedly caught fire last Friday while the girl was in class. Some reports indicate that the device in this case was an iPhone 5C, but that is unconfirmed.

The girl reportedly had the iPhone in her back pocket when she sat down. She reportedly heard a popping sound from her back pocket where the phone was and saw smoke. The boys in class were reportedly asked to leave the room while the girl removed her pants.

The teacher covered her with a blanket and she was taken to the hospital where she was treated and released. Officials investigating the fire say that they think the smartphone shorted out when she sat down.

The principal of the school says that the girl did the stop, drop, and roll procedure taught in school. The officials say that people need to be cautious when putting smartphones in their back pocket out of fear of causing an electrical short. There have been no official comments from Apple on the case.

SOURCE: USA Today