Mobile phone bursts into flames

Amsterdam police said the incident occurred on Tuesday after the woman dropped the phone in a music store in central Amsterdam.

A police spokesperson said the mobile caught fire when the woman picked it up and switched it back on.

“The battery got hot and then the phone burst into flames. It was a Nokia. We later heard she had used a replacement battery,” said Jan Willem van Hofwegen of Fame Music store.

Similar events have happened in the past, and have been related to faulty batteries made by independent electronics manufacturers, a Nokia official said.

“We’ve heard about phones that overheat, melted and, in the worst case, exploded,” he said.

“In all cases it was caused by a replacement battery which was not a Nokia accessory. The manufacturers violated security requirements which should prevent it from heating up after short-circuiting, for instance, after it was dropped.”

The official could not name any of the battery manufacturers.The injured woman was not available for comment.