A teenager’s iPhone 5c that sparked a fire is being tested to determine what caused it to burst into flames.
Rimbey fire chief John Weisgerber said a lab is running tests to determine whether a cord shorted out or the actual smartphone caused the Rimbey basement fire.
On May 11, Josh Schultz, 16, suffered third-degree burns on his body after his charging smartphone caught fire while he was sleeping. His screams woke his family, who managed to douse the fire as the volunteer fire department arrived.
The fire was contained to the basement and consisted mostly of heat and smoke damage. The family stayed at a nearby home while the smoke cleared.
Around midnight, fire crews arrived to find the smartphone plugged into a cord and resting on the edge of the bed.
The family maintains the iPhone was on the night stand when Schultz went to sleep less than two hours before.
Weisgerber said people toss and turn when sleeping and the phone could have shifted from the night stand onto the bed.
But Weisgerber said the bottom line is smartphones and electronics do not belong in the beds.
“You put something like that in the bed, it’s going to get covered up ... and overheat,” said Weisgerber.
He said people should take heed to what is written in the electronics manuals and do not be overconfident. For example, he said chargers should be plugged directly into a wall socket and not into an extension cord.
“Electricity was very scary when it first was discovered,” he said. “We have harassed it over the years and dummied it down to where people think it is completely safe,” said Weisgerber.
“It hasn’t changed. It is still as unpredictable as when we first started harnessing electricity.”
The test results should be back in a few weeks.
crhyno@www.reddeeradvocate.com