British Man Claims His iPhone 7 Exploded When He Answered a Call

A British man is claiming that his iPhone 7 exploded when he attempted to answer a phone call.

Lee Hayes, 42, a resident of Southport, England, said that his iPhone was innocuously sitting on the kitchen counter when he heard it ringing. “As soon as I touched the screen to answer it the phone exploded,” Hayes told The Sun. “There was a loud bang and a sizzling noise and the force of the blast shattered the screen.” Hayes, reportedly, had only owned the iPhone for three days before the unfortunate event.

In the wake of that explosion, Hayes was reportedly left with burns and shards of glass stuck in his hands, and “the phone was so hot it left a mark on my kitchen unit where it had been sitting,” he added. “It filled my home with horrible fumes too.” A semi-professional darts player, Hayes said that the injuries he sustained are preventing him from competing until they heal, and he is considering taking legal action against Apple. (Though Hayes himself is no stranger to legal action, CNET points out).

While Apple’s iPhones don’t have as fiery of a reputation as some other devices, Hayes’ iPhone 7 isn’t the first Apple flagship to spontaneously combust. Earlier this year, a woman named Brianna Olivas reported her own iPhone 7 Plus began emanating fumes and melting. And in August 2016, an Australian man suffered third degree burns after his iPhone exploded in his pocket while mountain biking. Apple has investigated both of those incidents, and is likely to investigate Hayes’ iPhone. It’s still important to note that exploding iPhones are not a widespread or common problem thus far. But iPhones are electronic devices, and like all electronic devices, they can fail — and yes, sometimes by exploding.

The cause of such an explosion is typically the lithium-ion battery contained within so many of our devices. That was the ultimate downfall of the Galaxy Note 7, but its problems were largely tied to a design issue. So thankfully, barring bad luck or uncommon circumstances, most of us probably don’t have to worry about our beloved iPhones spontaneously combusting.