Brooklyn Boy Burned As Smartphone Catches Fire In His Hands
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A child in East Flatbush, Brooklyn suffered from serious burns after a smartphone caught fire in his hand over the weekend.
As CBS2's Fatima Rahmatullah explained, a Samsung Galaxy Core burst into flames Saturday night as 6-year-old Kadim was playing a game on it. It was his grandmother's smartphone.
"He was playing with the phone because he always has the phone. Playing with it, the phone started catching fire," grandfather John Lewis explained.
As CBS2's Tracee Carrasco reported, Kadim's hand was still bandaged up and healing 48 hours later.
"The phone caught on fire, then the battery exploded, so he threw it on the floor and then it just, it was like fireworks in the house," said Kadim's mother, Marsha Lewis.
The boy suffered first-degree burns, and a portion of the floor in the home was left charred from the fire.
"He threw it on the ground and ran outside," John Lewis explained. "The cops came, the fire truck came because the alarm inside went off."
Kadim's family said the year-old phone was not charging at the time, and they are not sure what caused the phone to explode.
"I was watch everything while it happened," Marcia Lewis said. "We all were nervous."
Kadim was taken to SUNY Downstate Medical Center, and treated with first-degree burns on his hand.
Kadim was back in school Monday, despite his injuries.
"He's doing pretty all right. He went to school," Lewis said. "But he was kind of timid because he doesn't want to see no phone."
John Lewis said Kadim won't be getting near a phone anytime soon.
The freak accident came just as Samsung Electronics announced a global recall of another model of Samsung Galaxy phone. A total of 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 phones just two weeks after the phone was launched in August.
Samsung found that rechargeable lithium batteries manufactured by one of its suppliers were at fault for the 35 confirmed reports of the Galaxy 7 catching fire.
The Federal Aviation Administration has also warned travelers to avoid turning on the phones and charging them while flying. Travelers are also urged not to stow the phones in checked baggage.
Some airlines are even verbally warning passengers on board.
In a statement, Samsung told CBS2 they take every report very seriously and they have contacted the Lewis family about their situation.
Owners of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 have been warned by the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission to power down the devices and stop charging or using them.
