Cellphone Didn’t Ignite Man On Fire

Turns that the man in the polyester suit who caught on fire in his hotel, well, it wasn’t his Nokia cellphone that started the conflagration.

“When we reinstalled the battery, the phone still booted up,” said Vallejo fire department investigator Tweedy. “If the battery had malfunctioned or the phone had short-circuited, it wouldn’t have worked anymore. And it did, so we could rule out the phone as an ignition source.”

Investigators think matches, a lighter, or a cigarette started the blaze, which was so intense, it consumed them. Matters were made worse by the plastic chair the dude was sitting in.

Let’s recap: polyester and nylon suit + cigarette + asleep = fire hazard. Either that, or this was a clearcut case of disco inferno. — BEN POPKEN

Cell phone didn’t ignite California man [News.com via Gizmodo]

Previously: Cellphone Ignites In Pocket, Burning Man’s Body And Hotel Room

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