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Alleged Galaxy Note 7 explosion burns down man’s house

Published Sep 7th, 2016 10:59AM EDT
Galaxy Note 7 Recall Explosion House Fire
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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Do yourself a favor: if you still own a Galaxy Note 7, follow these instructions to participate in the recall. At this point, there’s no way of telling which Galaxy Note 7 is safe to use, or when – if ever – they might explode. A man in Horry County, South Carolina, left his Galaxy Note 7 charging in the garage and left to pick up his daughters. When he returned home, he found his house in flames with firefighters already at the scene.

DON’T MISS: How to trade in your Galaxy Note 7 for one that won’t explode

“Everybody was here, and they were actually at the front door about ready to go inside and make the initial fire attack. Somebody told me that there was a fire in the garage. You know, you just don’t really ever think it will happen to you,” Wesley Hartzog
Hartzog told WMBF News. “They asked me if I had anything plugged in in the garage. My cell phone, which was the new Note 7, was plugged in in the garage. I also had an air compressor plugged into the same outlet, but the compressor wasn’t on.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Horry County Fire Rescue investigators said the fires originated near a wall where Hartzog’s Galaxy Note 7 was charging. Meanwhile, the man’s family has been displaced from their house, which is now condemned.

“As soon as they can finish the investigation, and the insurance company for the home and Samsung can determine the exact the cause of the fire, whatever it may be, and then be able to move back in, and somebody comes in, and we’re able to clean it up,” he said.

This is the second reported incident involving an exploding Galaxy Note 7 in the US.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.