One can describe the iPhone as a hot device, But for two persons this week-- one in Australia, the other in Brazil-- the iPhone experience got overheated, after both reported their phones started belching smoke before nearly melting down.
The first reported was the Australian case-- on Nov. 25, on a Regional Express flight to Sydney, "an iPhone was so red hot it started smoking, partially melted and had to be doused by a flight attendant with a fire extinguisher," according to a report from the airline.
The second case took place in Brazil-- Ayla Paulo Moto left his iPhone 4 to charge overnight, only to wake up to find the smartphone producing not only "black smoke" but also "a lot of sparks." Mota then switched off the power before unplugging the device and opening the windows.
It seems mobile phones do mysteriously self-combust, just like those mystery cases of human self-combustion occassionally popping up on "weird-but-true" newspaper columns. These are not even the first cases of burning iPhones-- in 2009, a number of iPhone 3GS owners reported overheating handsets.
The reason? Probably a rare overheating issue related to lithium batteries. As Time reports, in the US the Obama administration wanted to classify lithium batteries as "hazardous material"... even if it also passed a bill barring limits exceeding international standards on lithium cell and battery shipments.
The September crash of a UPS Boeing 747 in Dubai is also believed to be caused by a lithium-based battery fire.
Such reports, fortunately, remain isolated-- but still very real. More testing on the potential hazards of lithium batteries should be on order, we think.
Go Red Hot iPhone Sparks Fire on Regional Flight
Go Brazilian Sees His iPhone 4 Catch Fire at Dawn
Go Up in Smoke: iPhone Glows Red on Plane, Melts (Time Techland Blog)