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Guy says his iPhone 6 bent -- and caught on fire

What happens when an iPhone bends too much? One man says his bent so much it punctured the battery and caught fire, causing second-degree burns to his leg.

Anthony Domanico
CNET freelancer Anthony Domanico is passionate about all kinds of gadgets and apps. When not making words for the Internet, he can be found watching Star Wars or "Doctor Who" for like the zillionth time. His other car is a Tardis.
Anthony Domanico
2 min read

bent-exploded-iphone-6.jpg
Phillip Lechter posted this photo on his blog. "The phone right after removing from pocket and removing case," he wrote. Phillip Lechter

Apple's new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus smartphones probably won't bend just sitting in the pocket of your probably-too-tight skinny jeans (Apple notes that only a handful of people have reported the new iPhones bending in their pockets). One guy, however, says his phone not only bent in his pocket, but caught fire.

An entrepreneur and business coach by the name of Phillip Lechter says his iPhone 6 bent so much in his pocket that it punctured the battery, an event that can result in a fire. Lechter and his family were riding in a rickshaw (or pedicab, as it's sometimes called) in Tucson, Ariz., when the rickshaw hit a trolley track in the road. Lechter said the impact sent him into the side of the metal rickshaw.

His iPhone 6 was in the front pocket that hit the wall, he said, and was positioned such that it was bent nearly 90 degrees and punctured the battery, even though he had a leather case on his iPhone.

When he looked down, Lechter said he noticed that his leg was on fire. He said a nearby spectator jumped into action and threw a cup of water on his leg to put the fire out. Once the fire was out, Lechter said he was able to successfully get his phone out of his pocket and throw it out of the cab without burning his fingers, though he said he experienced a pretty significant burn on his leg.

"The doctor's report described a 11.5 cm x 10.5 cm burn area on my right leg and classified the burn as second-degree with first-degree burns surrounding the area," Lechter wrote on his blog. "According to the Doctor, the burn will require cleanliness, antibiotics and pain management for treatment."

As crazy as the story seems, the video shows several spectators asking if he's OK and pouring water on the blown-up phone. "This was a surreal experience, and if it hadn't happened to me I wouldn't believe it myself," Lechter wrote.

Apple didn't respond to a request for comment.

(Via Geek)