Galaxy Note 7 blamed for Jeep going up in flames

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Sept. 13 (UPI) -- A Florida family watched their car go up in flames after a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone caught fire on the console and engulfed the car.

The family had just returned home from a yard sale when they found their Jeep Grand Cherokee on fire in the driveway. His brand new smartphone was the apparent cause of the blaze.

Owner Nathan Dornacher was not aware of Samsung's massive recall of the device last week for the batteries' ability to explode and catch fire.

Dornacher told FOX 13 News in St. Petersburg he had done a lot of upgrades to the car and was proud of it.

The fire was the latest of a series of incidents involving Samsung's latest phone.

At least 35 Galaxy Note 7s have had some sort of issue as of Sept 1. A phone caught fire while charging, causing $1,400 in damages to a hotel room in Australia.

Another Note 7 exploded in Florida, burning the hand of the man using it at the time. He dropped it on a table as it continued to burn, destroying the phone and the table.

Three Australian airlines have banned use of the phone on their flights and the Federal Aviation Administration has urged passengers to avoid using them on flights in the United States.