A bottle of deodorant, a mobile phone on charging mode, and a blast that shattered every window in the vicinity - a strange episode unfolded in Maharashtra's Nashik on Tuesday.
In Nashik's CIDCO Uttam Nagar area, three people were injured when a mobile phone exploded in a house. Right next to the phone, was a deodorant bottle. Being highly inflammable, the bottle caught fire and contributed to an even bigger explosion.
The blast not only broke the glass and windows inside the house but also shattered every window in its radius. The explosion was so severe, it also broke the windows of the cars in the vicinity. Neighbouring houses also reported broken windows due to the blast.
The three people who suffered serious burn injuries are being treated at a hospital. The police have initiated an investigation into the unusually strong blast.
Videos of the house and the surrounding area show damaged furniture and metal railings on windows dripping soot and ash.
Smartphone fires and explosions are almost always caused by battery problems. Modern smartphones are generally equipped with lithium-ion batteries, with their delicate balance of positive and negative electrodes. Usually, if the batteries are old or faulty, excessive heat can cause a volatile reaction resulting in an explosion. The police are probing if this indeed was the reason behind the blast.
