14 DAY TRIAL // The fifth report of a replaced Samsung Galaxy Note 7 catching fire has surfaced online and things seem to be getting gradually worse for the South Korean manufacturer. This time, the incident occurred in Houston, Texas, and Samsung made some comments on the matter.
The Verge reported that Daniel Franks was having lunch with his family when the “safe” Galaxy Note 7 smartphone suddenly caught fire, while sitting on the table. The phone had been replaced at a Best Buy store late last month.
Daniel Franks and his family didn’t suffer any injuries as a result of the incident, but in a statement to The Verge he did wonder what would have happened if the phone had gone up in flames while his daughter was using it or while it was sitting on a nightstand.
In a short statement after news of the incident surfaced, Samsung said that “We are working diligently with authorities and third party experts and will share findings when we have completed the investigation.”
The company has added that there are a limited number of reports about replaced units catching fire and that it is taking each of them seriously. It has also affirmed that, if investigations prove a safety issue exists, the company will take immediate steps approved by the CPSC. This could indicate that a second recall might be launched.
Samsung stopped production of Note 7 phones
This appears to be the fifth incident involving a replaced Galaxy Note 7 smartphone catching fire in the US, while several more reports surfaced in other countries across the world, like Taiwan and South Korea.
A recent report showed two Galaxy Note 7 units catching fire in South Korea and another exploding in the US, causing the owner to seek immediate medical care for smoke intoxication. But the incident that made the whole situation worse was the Southwest flight, where a replaced Note 7 caught fire and led to the evacuation of the whole airplane.
As a result, US carriers are now offering customers the option to bring in their replaced Note 7 smartphones and exchange them for other smartphones in Samsung’s lineup. Samsung has also suspended production of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones.