Sudden explosion in reports of exploding phones

Is iPhone fire first sign of the Apocalypse?

An American student's iPhone has exploded in his pocket - the latest in a global wave of smartphone combustions increasingly suggesting one of the seven signs of the modern Apocalypse is upon us.

Darin Hlavaty, a student at Rowan College at Burlington County, told US media network ABC that his iPhone 6 Plus had exploded in his back pocket, burning a hole in his jeans.

"I felt this crazy, hot burning in my leg. Right as class was starting, my phone started smoking in my pocket. It was a fire," he said.

A school spokesperson confirmed to ABC that a teacher called public safety on a report of a burning phone around 9:45am.

Apple told ABC it would not comment, but will investigate the claim as customer safety is of the utmost importance.

Last week a Reddit poster claimed his new iPhone exploded in transit.

The user “kroopthesnoop” posted pictures of the broken iPhone 7 Plus. “Something happened between the factory and delivery,” he said.

Recently Samsung recalled its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones after finding some batteries had exploded or caught fire.

Following the release of the dual-curved, 5.7 inch-screen, water-resistant Galaxy Note 7 phablet, the number of fires have increased thanks to its reportedly explosive battery.

For an explainer on what makes mobile phone batteries explode, read El Reg's introduction here. ®