According to a recent report, last Saturday in Vallejo, CA, a man who was seriously burned after his cell phone caught fire and ignited his clothing. Apparently, this is no unusual.

The 59-year-old resident of The Travelers Hotel on Georgia Street in Vallejo suffered second and third-degree burns on half his body. An activated sprinkler confined the fire to the immediate area and firefighters found Luis Picaso on the floor of the bathroom.

It was possible a button on the phone inside Picaso's pocket was depressed for a long time causing overheating, a short circuit or other malfunction. A couple other cases were reported in California in the past few years. In 2004, Ontario, CA, a 16-year-old girl suffered second-degree burns when her cell phone in her back pocket caught fire.

Additionally, in May 2004 in New Paltz, N.Y. lent credibility to the suspicion that a cell phone could ignite a fire at a gas pump. A 21-year-old student was filling up at the pump when his phone rang. When he answered it a large flash occurred at the nozzle and started a fire.

Thousands of counterfeit LG-branded cell phone batteries were recalled in June 2004 because they could overheat and pose a fire hazard, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.