An Apple Store in Amsterdam recently faced a major scare when an iPad battery exploded and released chemical gas into the air. Thankfully, no one got injured in the incident.
According to Dutch publication iCulture and news outlet AT5, the iPad in question had a leaking battery pack. The Apple Store employees immediately dropped it into a container filled up with sand. Sand is typically used to douse flames for lithium-ion batteries since water reacts explosively with lithium.
Apple Store Evacuation
The Apple Store was then evacuated, but not before 3 people inhaled some of the chemical vapors emitted by the battery. They began experiencing breathing issues. Ambulance workers treated them on site, so there were no major casualties.
The Amsterdam fire department tweeted about the incident right from the start, clarifying that there was no smoke or fire. After airing the store out for some time, folks were allowed back in that same day. Apple hasn’t said anything about the case officially.
It’s not clear how the iPad’s battery began leaking. It might have overheated because of improper handling by an employee while the tablet was getting serviced. It’s also possible that it was a third-party battery and not an official Apple part.
Also Read: Watch: Thieves steal $29000 worth of iPhones, iPads from Apple Store
This isn’t the only case of an Apple Store being evacuated after a battery explosion. An outlet in Switzerland faced the same crisis back in January this year, but with an iPhone instead of an iPad. A Spanish outlet also saw an iPhone’s battery flare up within days of the Swiss incident.
Before you start panicking, it’s worth nothing that this hasn’t reached Samsung Galaxy Note 7 levels of fire yet. These occurrences are fairly isolated and can’t be taken as a proper trend. We’ll let you know if this changes in the future.