Apple denies iPhone 6 fire risk after Chinese consumer association warning

According to Apple, the iPhone 6 cases on fire in China are not the result of a manufacturing defect, but of physical damage. The company states this on the basis of an analysis of the affected devices.

Last Friday, the Chinese consumer organization Shanghai Consumer Council released a report stating that eight cases of iPhone 6 devices catching fire had been reported in the country. The organization would also have been informed about six units that failed while the battery was still charged. The Shanghai Consumer Council is loosely linked to the Chinese state, reports The Wall Street Journal. The union called on Apple to respond and the company has now done so.

Apple told Reuters that research to date indicates that physical damage was likely the culprit for the fire and not a manufacturing defect. The failing batteries are due to a manufacturing defect and Apple had already set up a repair program for it. In response to suspicions that the problems are more widespread than originally estimated, Apple has now expanded the investigation. The amount of devices that qualify for a free battery replacement may therefore be expanded.