Cecil Student Burned After Cell Phone Ignites

Deputy State Fire Marshals are currently investigating the events surrounding a student who was injured including burns to his hands after it was reported a cell phone had exploded on a Cecil County school bus.

At 3:09 p.m., Hacks Point Volunteer Fire Company and investigators with the Office of the State Fire Marshal were dispatched to Hack's Point General Store located at 1444 Glebe Road in Earleville for a burn subject. Upon arrival, firefighters and EMS personnel discovered Cecil County Public Schools bus #249 parked in front of the store with one of the students advising he had sustained burns his hands.

The preliminary investigation by Deputy State Fire Marshals has revealed the school bus departed Bohemia Manor High School and was the in process of dropping off students. During its route, students notified the school bus driver of a cell phone smoking and laying on the floor. It was reported an 18-year old male student picked the phone up in hopes of throwing the device out a window for the safety of other students. During the course of throwing the phone from the bus, the student received burns to his hands. Cecil County EMS personnel treated the student on scene and he was subsequently transported to Union Hospital of Cecil County with non-life threatening injuries.

Investigators are still in the process of interviewing witnesses and inspecting the phone and its components including the battery. It has not been confirmed if the involved phone was owned by the student who sustained the burns or if it was the property of another student. An origin and cause investigation will be conducted to determine how the phone or its battery exploded including if it was an internal malfunction or from an external source including being maliciously mishandled.