An iPod in his pants makes airport worker hot stuff

happygeek 0 322 Views

According to a report at The Inquirer an Atlanta airport worker was a little surprised to discover, upon looking down to see where the smell of burning was coming from, that it was him.

Well, it was his trousers to be precise.

Apparently the chap, one Danny Williams, had an 18 month old iPod Nano and a piece of glossy paper in his pocket at the time. As well as flames that were fierce enough to be licking around his chest. The iPod, of course, gets its power from a Lithium Ion battery which raises suspicions of another hot battery problem about to hit the consumer.

The local news station took up the story and sent images of the burned out iPod, and one assumes the flaming pants, to Apple which has yet to make an official comment. Williams, however, reports that Apple wants the iPod back to investigate further and has promised to issue a replacement.

I should think so, along with his burned out pants.

Dani AI

Generated

A short, practical addendum to the points raised by , and : small lithium‑ion cells can fail quickly and violently for several distinct reasons (internal short, mechanical damage, extended heat, or inappropriate/aftermarket cells), so the thread’s guesses about age, long pocketed use, and non‑OEM batteries are all plausible lines of inquiry. For the mechanics behind those failures see a technical review of lithium‑ion thermal runaway. (thermal‑runaway review)

Two everyday hazards worth calling out explicitly: 1) loose or rewrapped cells that lack protection circuitry can short against coins or keys in a pocket and rapidly overheat — the CPSC has warned about this risk; and 2) enclosed heat buildup (device running for long shifts inside a tight pocket or case) accelerates cell degradation and the chance of failure. Those are prevention points you can act on now. (CPSC loose‑cell warning)

If anyone needs a checklist after a battery event: stop using the device; photograph device and clothing; do not try to pry the cell apart; if it’s still hot or smoking move away and call emergency services. If safe, isolate the item in a metal container and keep it for investigation. Report the incident to the manufacturer and to the CPSC (SaferProducts.gov) so it’s on record — that helps regulators spot patterns and decide whether a recall is needed. (battery safety tips, how to report to CPSC)

Bottom line: one‑off incidents don’t automatically prove a systemic design flaw, but they should be preserved and reported so investigators can rule out manufacturing defects, aftermarket parts, or predictable misuse. Practical prevention: avoid carrying loose cells, use only certified chargers and OEM batteries, and watch for swelling, heat, odd smells or noises.

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jwenting 1,905 duckman

well, as it is out of warranty they have no contractual (and quite likely no legal) obligation to replace it...
It does of course make for good damage control given the negative press they're sure to get over the incident (which isn't in any case shown to have been caused by a design flaw or other malfunction in the device itself that Apple could have prevented).
If the guy had it in his pocket, and turned on for hours at a time (his entire shift), probably in some sort of protective cover as well, it's entirely possible for electronics (and especially batteries) to get rather hot.
Do that for 18 months, every day (or almost) and you're creating an accident waiting to happen.

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lasher511 185 Veteran Poster

It could really have been a number of things. Like it may not have been the ipod that caused the fire but something in his working enviroment that just happend to be in the same location or it could have been that he was using an aftermarket battery and not an apple issued one.

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happygeek 2,411 Most Valuable Poster

I would expect if it were a battery issue with the Nano that we would have heard of more cases of pants aflame by now, considering this one was 18 months old according to the guy involved. It is possible it is age related, so we should keep an open mind.

Hopefully he will have returned the device to Apple now so it can investigate.

It could just have been a couple of small things rubbing together in his pocket causing a spark I guess :)

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