English teenager suffers facial burns after iPhone charger catches fire

On March 18, Amie Hall, who resides in Birmingham, England, plugged in her iPhone to charge before heading to bed. Just before falling asleep, she noticed "flashing orange" flames on her blanket.

The flames had caught her blanket on fire and left her with a minor burn to her cheek. Hall was able to run downstairs and seek the help of her mother, who could extinguish the fire without the aid of firefighters.

"There was no need for the fire service to attend as my mom had managed to put the fire out herself," Hall told Birmingham Mail. "I would just like to spread the word to please make sure people take note - it could have been a lot worse."

Hall posted pictures of her burns to Facebook to warn others not to leave their phone to charge overnight.

It's not currently known what caused the fire. Birmingham Mail says that the charger consisted of an Apple charging cable and another brand's charging plug, but Hall states otherwise.

"This isn't even a cheap charger, it's an Apple charger," she wrote on Facebook. "Please don't go to bed and leave your phone charging overnight."

Apple is currently investigating the cause of the fire. The company suggests that all iPhone users review safe charging standards. Users are told not to charge the iPhone in areas where moisture could be present or in poorly ventilated spaces, which could cause the charger to overheat or throw sparks.

Apple also suggests that users regularly inspect their charging equipment to ensure that it is not damaged and point out that users can take questionable equipment to an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider for evaluation.

In 2019, an Australian scientist suffered second-degree burns when his year-old iPhone X exploded in his pocket while at work. He is currently seeking compensation for his injuries.