Cellphone Battery Ignites In Deerfield Classroom, Burns Student
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DEERFIELD BEACH (CBSMiami) -- A student at Deerfield Park Elementary suffered burns after a cellphone burst into flames.
It was around 10:30 a.m. when a third grader's cellphone started beeping.
The student took the battery out of the phone and it fell on the floor.
He put the battery into his pocket and then it caught fire.
Broward Fire Rescue Spokesman Mike Jachles said the battery was so hot that when the student removed it from his pocket it left a mark.
"It actually melted the linoleum on the floor area. It was pretty hot," Jachles said.
Fire Rescue evacuated the school as a precaution.
No one was seriously hurt, though the student with the battery suffered a minor burn on his leg and went home with his parents.
Parents picking up their kids at school expressed lots of concern.
"It brings awareness to us as parents that we have to be more diligent with the things that we give our kids," said Bruce Mcfayden. "But these are things that they need to be in contact with us."
Some like Tess Martin said the school did not notify parents.
"It's sad that we're being informed by you guys," Martin said.
She said her elementary school kids do not have cellphones, but she can understand why some do.
"It's kind of a double-edged sword and you want them to have the resources to reach you in case of an emergency," she said.
Fire Rescue showed us the phone the battery was in. It's called a Coolpad.
CBS4 reached out to the company. They're calling what happened a "malfunction of some sort" and that they have not received any complaint or any contact from the child's family.
In an email, Charlie Parke, senior vice president of CoolPad, said:
"We've not seen anything like this happen with any of our devices before. We are contacting the emergency responder who has the suspect battery… so that we can learn more about exactly what happened."
First responders said after stories about phone batteries and batteries from other electronic devices catching fire, consumers need to be cautious and aware.
"You have to follow the manufacturer's directions as far as charging these batteries. Also, if they're damaged in any way they can short out," Jachles said.
Broward School District officials said elementary school students are allowed to have cellphones in school.
CBS4's Carey Codd was told Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue and state fire investigators will look into this, as will the maker of the phone.
