Man with burning pocket can not blame cell phone

Vallejo (CA) - A man that sustained second and third degree burns after a fire reportedly started in his pants’ pocket was not the victim of a spontaneously combusted cell phone, as city officials debunked that possibility following a complete investigation.

59-year-old Luis Picaso was in his hotel room in Vallejo, CA when a fire broke out and caused him to get multiple burns on the right side of his body. Fire officials later confirmed that the fire began in Picaso’s right pocket, leading many to believe that his cell phone caused the flames.

However, new facts reveal that the Nokia phone was not the cause of the fire, said the mobile phone company upon inspection of the phone, which was reportedly still fully functional after Picaso had been hospitalized. Local fire inspector Bill Tweedy concurred with Nokia’s findings. "He could have been smoking a cigarette, the cigarette fell into his pocket, and it started on fire," suggested Tweedy.

A reported $75,000 in damages to the hotel were attributed to the small fire. Picaso has yet to make a statement about what happened, as he reportedly is still under heavy sedation since the incident last week.