Paramedic Claims His Samsung Galaxy S6 Exploded While Charging

While the new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is making headlines after reports of explosions and fires, owners of some earlier generation Galaxy devices say they’ve had similar experiences — like the Massachusetts paramedic who claims that his S6 Active exploded while it was plugged in. 

On Saturday, the Winthrop, MA, ambulance service where the paramedic works posted a warning and photos of the severely damaged phone, which was originally incorrectly described as a Note 7.

According to the post, the paramedic had been charging the newly purchased phone while he slept when it caught fire. Smoke from the phone triggered fire alarms in the building.

Local fire officials reported to the scene, but the only damage was to the phone and the desk it was sitting on.

“It was pretty scorched,” one paramedic tells CBS Boston. “The screen was all blown out, the whole back part charred.”

As of mid-afternoon on Sept. 6, Samsung had still not officially recalled the Note 7 in the U.S., though it has announced an exchange program. That not-a-recall currently only covers the newer phone, so the paramedic’s S6 is not included.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s SaferProducts.gov database there are a number of complaints published that allege similar fire and smoking problems with previous device models in the Galaxy line.

The most recent report, filed on April 12, states that the Samsung-provided charging cable caught on fire in February 2015.

The owner says he charged the phone successfully for several months, until one morning when he noticed that the phone wasn’t charging because the cable had caught fire and melted.

Another owner of an S6 tells the CSPC that in Dec. 2015 she plugged in her dead device to charge.

“About an hour later I detected a strange smell. I found that the micro USB portion that plugs into the phone was warped, melted, and discolored,” according to the report, noting that the phone, which was no longer functional — was “extremely hot” and could not be picked up.