This Teenager's Cell Phone Caught on Fire and Literally Melted While She Slept on Top of It

13-year-old Ariel Tolfree's Samsung Galaxy S4 was under her pillow when it got so hot it burned to a crisp

By Jenna Mullins Jul 28, 2014 9:07 PMTags
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Let's all just be thankful that this girl didn't fall asleep with the cell phone on her cheek. Aww, do you remember those days of staying up late and talking to a friend or boyfriend/girlfriend until you both fall asleep over the phone together? Young love…

But yeah, that could have resulted in a hole burnt right through her flesh. Seriously.

Ariel Tolfree, (there's a phone/toll free joke in there somewhere regarding her last name, but we'll just let it slide), a 13-year-old from Dallas was sleeping on top of her Samsung Galaxy S4 smart phone when it reportedly caught fire and straight-up melted while it was under her pillow.

"The whole phone melted," her dad, Thomas Tolfree, tells KDFW. "The plastic, the glass. You can't even really tell that it was a phone." 

Ariel says her phone slipped beneath her pillow while she was sleeping and in the middle of the night, the smell of something burning woke her up.

"I didn't think much of it, so I went back to sleep, and then I woke up again and it was more prominent," Tolfree remembers.

(Side note: Who can go back to sleep after smelling something that's burning in their house?!)

Here is what her dad thinks happened: The phone overheated, which caused the battery to expand and catch fire. Just look at the damage it did on her sheets:

That is actually terrifying.

So what does Samsung have to say about this death phone? A spokesperson tells KDFW that their products are indeed safe and that the battery inside Ariel's phone was a replacement and not an original Samsung part.

The company also pointed out that in the user guide for the Samsung Galaxy, it does warn consumers not to cover their smart phones with bedding or any other material, because that could restrict airflow. And because most humans don't really read those user guides, Ariel's dad didn't even know about that warning.

"If anything, they should put a big warning on it, like a cigarette label, if that's the case," he reasons.

Samsung is still investigating the incident, and in the meantime, Ariel's bedding is being replaced.

Get yourself that 1,000 thread count Egyptian cotton, girl!