Apple Inc. said it’s looking into an Australian man’s allegation that an iPhone 7 ignited and set ablaze the car he’d left it in while surfing. Smartphones and other devices with lithium-ion batteries are known to be susceptible to fires in extreme conditions, so the lone incident is far from a sign of a widespread problem. But the massive recall in recent weeks of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone — prompted by overheating and explosions — has left consumers and regulators on higher guard. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted Wednesday to launch a study of the risks of lithium-ion batteries, a spokeswoman said. About 1.9 million Galaxy Note 7 devices have been recalled, according to the commission, which also received almost 100 reports of overheating.

Source: Los Angeles Times October 21, 2016 19:13 UTC