Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 phones have had a busy couple of weeks. They’re exploding all over the place, and as a result, the company has been forced to issue a massive recall and stop shipments of new phones. Oh, and now the spark-happy gadgets apparently set some poor guy’s Jeep ablaze.


According to a report from FOX 13 News, St. Petersburg, Florida resident Nathan Dornacher and his family had just returned home from a yard sale on Labor Day when the fire started. Dornacher left his Note 7 in the car to charge while he brought a desk inside, but when he told his his 8-year-old daughter and family dog to get back in the car, he realized something was, uh, not quite right.


Firefighters were able to contain the fire, but it was too late for Dornacher’s Jeep, which was totaled, according to FOX 13.

On Facebook, Dornacher posted his own account of the incident, as well as a number of photos documenting the damage:

Not the barbecue I wanted on my day off. We go to a garage sale to grab a desk for Bonnie get back to the house unload the car leave it running AC on to keep the car cool we were planning on grabbing the dog and Bonnie and heading to Petco, I head back out to the car to grab my phone which was on the charger (me and Lydia always fight over the house charger) go to open the door and see flames inside... open the door and it’s engulfed run inside to get extinguisher and of course not to be found yell at Lydia to call Fire Department and well here is the end result....

Samsung told FOX 13 that it was “aware of the incident,” and that it was “working with Mr. Dornacher to investigate his case and ensure we do everything we can for him.”

On Facebook, Dornacher noted that while he wasn’t positive yet the phone caused the fire, “all signs are pointing that way.” He also complained that Samsung hadn’t been much help, writing in a comment on September 6, “Samsung has blown me off after over a hour on the phone this morning. Never called back as promised. Guess it is time to get a lawyer. You had your chance.”


What’s left of the car (Image: Facebook

What’s left of the Galaxy Note 7 (Image: Facebook


Meanwhile, in Australia, a Note 7 explosion caused $1,400 worth of damage to a hotel room, and the Federal Aviation Administration told Gizmodo this week that it’s mulling a ban on the smartphones.



Remember: You can still trade yours in for a less explosion-y model!