News broke last week that Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 smartphones have been exploding due to the lithium-ion batteries in the devices. As a result, the company was forced to issue a massive recall and stop shipments of the new phones.
But a St. Petersburg, FL resident was forced to learn of the recall the hard way when his vehicle was engulfed in flames after he left his Note 7 in the car to charge while he brought a desk inside. Nathan Dornacher and his family notified St. Petersburg fire officials, who were able to contain the fire, but were too late to save the Jeep. The interior of the vehicle was completely destroyed, and the car was totaled.
“That's the last thought in my head is that a brand new device, something as simple as a phone, is going to burn down my car or house or hurt a family member,” Dornacher said. He noted that the phone was only five days old.
Samsung released a statement saying that it was fully aware of the incident and is doing everything it can to work with Dornacher. The company issued a full recall in 10 countries after 35 instances of Note 7s exploding or catching fire were reported.
Additionally, in Australia, a Note 7 explosion caused $1,400 worth of damage to a hotel room. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is also considering banning the smartphones.
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