Apple Store In Amsterdam Evacuated After iPad Battery Explodes
Faulty batteries have been an annoying problem in popular electronics from time to time, and it appears to be the cause of an iPad tablet leaking potentially harmful vapors into an overseas Apple Store location, prompting customers and employees to evacuate the store. It is not clear if anyone was injured from the incident.
According to a translated iCulture report, an iPad "exploded" in Apple's retail location in Amsterdam on Sunday afternoon. Fire department personnel who arrived at the scene examined employees and customers who were in the store when it happened.
A spokesperson for the fire brigade said the culprit is probably a "leaking battery pack." The store itself did not catch fire, nor is there any mention of internal damage resulting from whatever befell the ill-fated iPad. However, officials at the scene felt the best course of action was to ventilate the store to allow any harmful vapors to escape reopening it.
Device makers have stringent programs in place to ensure that batteries used in electronic devices do not overheat and catch fire. Nevertheless, it sometimes happens. Samsung, for example, recalled its Galaxy Note 7 handset two years ago following several reports of overheating and exploding batteries. Around the same time, HP recalled 41,000 laptops due to batteries posing burn and fire hazards, and later extended the recall to include 101,000 more units.
Earlier this year, Apple implemented a discounted battery replacement program for iPhone 6 and newer handsets, though not because of a fire hazard. Instead, the company was responding to complaints of iOS throttling performance on phones when the battery degraded to a certain point.
