Redmi Note 4 catches fire in Bengaluru; should Xiaomi device owners be worried?

Xiaomi has contacted the affected Redmi Note 4 customer for the device and is awaiting the response.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, which holds the record of being the best-selling device in India so far, is hitting the headlines again but unfortunately for the wrong reasons.

A video has emerged in which Redmi Note 4 is seen catching fire in Bengaluru. A consumer had bought the aforementioned device from a retail-chain outlet Poorvika on June 1, 2017. But, for reasons unknown, he visited a nearby mobile store (un-named) on July 17. The shop keeper, after servicing the phone, began to insert the SIM when it suddenly burst into flames, TechCase reported, which also has the CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) camera footage.

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The gold-hued phone has turned black and the top and the base-panel on the back is completely burned, but the structure is still intact.

Fortunately, nobody was injured. However, the customer has reportedly filed a case against the company for the mishap at Bellandur police station.

The customer has also submitted the device at Xiaomi's official service centre and is awaiting their response.

Here's official response from Xiaomi India on Redmi Note 4 fire incident:

"At Xiaomi, customer safety is of utmost importance to us. We investigated the Redmi Note 4 in the images, and concluded that it was a case of damage due to a faulty third-party charger used by the customer. Nonetheless we worked with the Poorvika store where the unit was bought, and replaced the customer's damaged unit with a brand new Redmi Note 4,"Xiaomi spokesperson told
International Business Times, India.

"However, after a thorough investigation, we cannot validate the source of this video, as it has no relation to this case, and was not from the Poorvika store. In fact, it is unclear if this separate and unrelated incident depicted in the video involved a Xiaomi device," Xiaomi added.

Should Xiaomi device owners be worried?

Absolutely not. For now, we need not worry, as the fire incident involving Redmi Note 4 has occurred in a store, that too not the official service centre. Furthermore, it did not happen while using the phone.

Xiaomi, Redmi Note 4, review, — Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 review: Establishes new bench mark set by Redmi Note 3Rohit KVN/ IBTimes India

There is a set of steps to be followed while servicing a phone and if proper procedure is not carried out, it will cause damage to the phone's internal components and this case, the embedded battery inside. If any metal pierces through the battery compartment and touches terminals, it will trigger a short circuit, and if any chemical content comes in to contact with an electrical spark, it will cause the battery to catch fire and obviously, the space constraint will only further escalate an explosion.

Though the customer is partly at fault for not taking the device to the authorised to the service centre, the device catching fire is still a big deal, as it the personal safety of the user is concerned.

Also read: Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 review

Unlike Samsung, which overcame the ill-fated Galaxy Note7 with the Galaxy S8 series, Xiaomi is very new and it is just starting to get a hold on the smartphone market. This incident will test the company's grit in overcoming bad publicity.

Also read: Samsung officially reveals findings of investigations on Galaxy Note7 fire; here what caused phone to explode [Video]

Many hope Xiaomi will pursue this issue seriously and come out with a complete report on the incident so that it will instil a sense of confidence on the company's brand image among consumers.