Child's phone catches fire in Cambridge, Ont. movie theatre

A Cambridge, Ont. mother was left shaken after her 11-year-old’s cellphone suddenly caught fire in a movie theatre.

No one was hurt but she worries that it could have been a lot worse.

On Monday, Madara Mejoule was waiting for her son and his friend outside the theatre. Wondering why they were taking so long, she went inside to get him. She was shocked by what she saw.

“The whole movie theater was filled with smoke and you could smell there was like a toxic gas smell,” Mejoule recalled.

Her son ran up to her and told her his phone had caught fire.

At first, she was skeptical. 

“I didn't believe that a phone could explode spontaneously,” Mejoule admitted.

She said he accidentally dropped his phone and it slipped between the theatre seats.

“As he went to retrieve it, he pushed down on the seat and then that jammed the phone and it pressurized the phone, at which point the lithium battery just started smoking,” she explained.

Cellphone wedged in a theatre seat. (Courtesy: Madara Mejoule)

The Cambridge Fire Department said the flames were contained to only the phone and seat. 

“The cause was a mobile phone that was pinched in the seat causing damage to the phone and battery,” said Eric Yates, a prevention officer with Cambridge Fire. “The result was the battery went into thermal runaway and ignited.”

Thermal runaway is when a lithium-ion battery enters an uncontrollable, self-heating state. As a result, the phone can reach extremely high temperatures, eject gas or shrapnel, smoke or catch fire.

Lithium-ion battery fires

Fire departments across the province have reported an increase in the number of lithium-ion battery fires. These batteries are not only found in phones but also in e-bikes and other electronics. 

• Warning about increase in lithium-ion battery fires

“The challenge of a lithium-ion fire is that it's a chemical reaction. It's not dependent on oxygen the way a traditional fire is,” explained Cory Armstrong-Smith, a fire prevention officer with Norfolk County Fire.

Fire officials say it's important to follow manufacturer instructions, use proper chargers and inspect devices regularly.

“The batteries themselves are delicate in the way that they're constructed. It's very easy to damage that battery: bending it, dropping it, breaking it, certainly exposing it to high heat will all cause them to fail,” Armstrong-Smith added.

Google Pixel phone

Mejoule said her son had a Google Pixel phone, similar to her own.

She said she reached out to the company but claims they won't replace the phone without a pricey deposit.

“They don't care that this happened to my son – that it potentially endangered [him] and they don't care to replace it,” Mejoule said, holding back tears. “That just tells me that I'm not a valued customer.”

CTV News also reached out to Google but did not hear back by our deadline.

Mejoule said she’ll stick with Google phones for now, as she’s on a contract, but she’ll be more cautious around cellphone batteries.

Cineplex said they closed the theatre where the fire happened on Monday but it reopened the next day as usual.

Safety tips

Cambridge Fire shared more battery safety tips:

• Check batteries for signs of damage such as bulging, leaking or unusual heat during charging.
• Always use the charger provided by the manufacturer to prevent overcharging. Use only approved charging cables that are compatible with the battery.
• Do not expose batteries to high heat or direct sunlight. Avoid extreme cold temperatures.
• Store batteries in a cool, dry place, away from flammable materials.
• Adhere to all usage guidelines and safety instructions provided by the manufacturer.
• Follow local regulations for the safe disposal of Lithium-ion batteries. Never discard in the trash.
• Always use the listed and approved battery for the appliance and device.
• Never leave devices plugged in once they are fully charged.
• Never charge devices under your pillow, on your bed, or on a couch.