Tech Trend 247

A surfer from the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia, has captured footage of the aftermath of a car fire he claims was caused by his week-old iPhone 7 on Thursday. 

Mat Jones told media outlets he wrapped the phone in some clothes on the seat of his car, while he went for a surf. By the time he returned, his vehicle was severely fire damaged. 

Jones is adamant the flaming Apple product was responsible for the starting the blaze, telling 7 News he had not damaged the phone or used a dodgy charger since buying the new model. 

"Here's the phone. Total burnout," he says in the video he recorded of the incident. 

"As I look into my car you could not see inside the car. All the windows were just black," he said according to the news program. "Ash was coming from inside the pants. Once you unwrapped the pants, the phone was just melting inside of it." 

While there's currently no evidence to suggest that the iPhone 7 "exploded" as some publications are claiming, it wouldn't be the first alleged explosion on record, the most recent Australian example being when a Sydney man fell off his bike and onto his butt, claiming his iPhone exploded on impact like a "mini bomb."  

Overcharging, puncturing or otherwise severely damaging the phone are all possible reasons why an iPhone 7 might catch fire. 

Chances of this happening could very well be heightened if the phone were placed in an excessively hot environment, such as in the back of a hot car on an Australian beach.

Apple has confirmed to Mashable that they are aware of Mat Jones' complaint and are investigating the incident.  

First it was the smartphones, now it's the washing machines.

In the same month that Samsung admitted it knows of at least 35 instances of Note7 batteries exploding or catching fire amid a nationwide recall in the U.S., the company is also having to deal with reports that some of its top-loading washers are also exploding.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a warning Wednesday, CNN reports, saying that there were "safety issues" with certain models made between March 2011 and April 2016. It did not specify models.

A woman's washer "exploded with such ferocity that it penetrated the interior wall of her garage."

Customers from several states, including Texas, Georgia and Indiana, have all said their washing machines exploded during use. ABC News believes 21 people have reported to the CPSC that their machines have malfunctioned.

In Texas, a woman's washer "exploded with such ferocity that it penetrated the interior wall of her garage," according to court documents reportedly filed earlier this year.

"The dent left at the washing machine's point of impact was so deep that it pushed through into [her] living room, which shares a wall with her garage."

Another woman in Georgia said it "sounded like a bomb went off in [her] ear” when her machine exploded in April. “There were wires, nuts, the cover actually was laying on the floor,” Melissa Thaxton of Dallas said.

Samsung issued a statement Wednesday, saying it was in "active discussions with the CPSC to address potential safety issues related to certain top-load washing machines."

"In rare cases, affected units may experience abnormal vibrations that could pose a risk of personal injury or property damage when washing bedding, bulky or water-resistant items," the company added. "Samsung is recommending that consumers with affected models use the lower speed delicate cycle" when washing those items. 

"It is important to note that Samsung customers have completed hundreds of millions of loads without incident since 2011."