Swiss store evacuated after iPhone battery overheats, one injured
Cases of phone batteries exploding have become common. But evacuation of a store because of it is rarely heard of. Something like that happened in an Apple store on Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse. Customers and employees were evacuated when an iPhone began emitting smoke during repairs. Fire personnel and police rushed to the spot. One person sustained burns on his hand. Seven others received medical treatment.
What happened?
An employee at the store was reportedly removing the battery of an iPhone 6 Plus when it overheated. His hand was slightly burned. They evacuated the 50-odd people who were in the shop at the time. Police said the staff responded "well and correctly": they sprinkled sand on the device, which contained the smoke. It was then sucked out through the ventilation.
Reasons behind the unexpected explosion
Police said the mishap happened due to "an unknown reason". Specialists at the Zurich Forensic Institute were examining the device, they said. Apple has issued no official statement yet.
Apple currently offering batteries for older models at $29
In 2016, Samsung was the subject of a major fiasco when its Note 7 batteries began to explode. It had to withdraw the devices from the market. Apple is also currently facing complaints about their batteries, not because of their volatility, but due to a controversy about the company deliberately slowing older models down. It is currently offering replacements at $29 instead of $79.
