Initial reports of a hazardous materials incident were determined to be caused by an exploding cellphone battery.
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Crews were dispatched at approximately 11 a.m. Wednesday to a multi-unit residential building at the intersection of Bellevue and Comly avenues in Langhorne Manor Borough.
At the scene, firefighters discovered that a lithium-ion battery inside a cellphone had caught fire and exploded, officials said.
The blaze was confined to the battery itself and did not spread to the building, according to Langhorne-Middletown Fire Company Chief Frank Farry.
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The person holding the phone was transported to an area hospital for observation by the Penndel-Middletown Emergency Squad.
Police from Langhorne Manor Borough and Penndel Borough shut down Bellevue Road in the area of the incident for a short time.
Along with the Langhorne-Middletown Fire Company and the Penndel-Middletown Emergency Squad, the Parkland Fire Company, the William Penn Fire Company, and the Middletown Township Department of Fire and Emergency Services responded to the scene.
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Fire officials across the nation have cautioned that lithium-ion batteries, which are commonly used in everyday consumer electronics, can overheat or burst if damaged.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 25,000 incidents of fires or overheating involving these batteries were reported over a five-year period.
