UPDATE (9:40 PM): Amanda Bentz said she heard back from Apple, and the company wants to investigate her damaged phone before they replace it.
Bentz told WFTS-TV that Apple said she can mail them the damaged phone and they might send her a replacement after an investigation.
But obviously that could take several days.
She said they could send her a new phone immediately, but only after putting a $749 hold on her credit card.
Bentz is considering going directly to the Apple store to work on getting a replacement phone.
ORIGINAL STORY: Amanda Bentz of Pinellas County, Fla., was fast asleep and her iPhone 6 Plus was on the nightstand.
“I was probably about a foot and half away from my phone, my phone was charging. There was no warning signs. No spark. There was no smoke. I’m a really light sleeper luckily. And all of a sudden it burst into flames. Out of nowhere,” she said.
Her husband Kyle jumped into action.
“I woke up to her screaming,” he said. “I grabbed one of my work shirts. It’s a flame retardant shirt.”
He put the fire out. But not before the phone got torched.
“We were seconds away from it being a really big deal. That’s what’s really nerve racking,” she said.
The curtains and even Amanda’s pillow got singed. So did her earrings on the nightstand.
“It was a little traumatizing. I’m not going to lie. It was an early morning. I’ve been up since three,” she said.
The couple are owners of The Coastal Boat Club in Palm Harbor.
They have been on the phone with Apple all day Tuesday. They filed a report and are waiting for a response. All they really want is a new device.
“Heard all kinds of things about the Galaxy. Never heard anything about the Apple iPhones,” said Kyle.
There are reports worldwide of iPhones catching fire, after the lithium-ion battery inside overheats.
Amanda said her phone was plugged at the time, but she was using an Apple charger.
