A Fitbit reportedly exploded on US woman's wrist

A woman in Wisconsin said her Fitbit exploded on her wrist, causing second-degree burns and prompting her to get up and move for all the wrong reasons.

Dina Mitchell told ABC News in an email she had only been wearing her tracker, the Flex 2, for about two weeks when it burst into flames while she was reading last week. She didn't report any prior issues with the device or its lithium-polymer battery, which was presumably the cause of the explosion.

"It was either defective or really mad I was sitting still so long," she wrote, proving the incident didn't blow away her sense of humour.

"I don't know. Either way, It burned the heck out of my arm."

Mitchell was able to pull the device off her wrist after it caught fire, and sought treatment for her burns the next day.

She told ABC her doctor had to remove pieces of rubber and plastic out of her injured arm, and Fitbit offered her a replacement device, if she was eager to strap another one onto her uninjured wrist so soon after the explosion.

"It was either defective or really mad I was sitting still so long."

Fitbit has been quick to address the incident - with the specter of Samsung's explosive battery issues hanging over the consumer electronics industry on the whole, the company is understandably wary of being perceived as another potentially dangerous brand.

Fitbit reps gave us a lengthy statement about how the company will look into the explosion via email when reached for comment:

We are extremely concerned about Ms. Mitchell's report regarding her Flex 2 and take it very seriously, as the health and safety of our customers is our top priority.

Fitbit products are designed and produced in accordance with strict standards and undergo extensive internal and external testing to ensure the safety of our users.

Read the full article here.

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