A 9-year-old student suffered minor burns after his cellphone battery ignited during class at Deerfield Park Elementary School Tuesday morning, officials said.
Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue workers responded to the school on Southwest 3rd Avenue in Deerfield Beach around 10:30 a.m.
"His phone was beeping so he took the battery out of the phone and during that time he dropped the battery on the floor," BSO Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles said.
Officials believe the fall to the floor must have caused enough trauma to the battery that it affected the materials inside.
"When he picked the battery up, he noticed a hole in the battery. He put it in his pants pocket," Jachles said. "About a minute later he said that the battery caught on fire. He took the battery out of his pants pocket, dropped it on the floor."
The battery was so fried it peeled its components and continued to sizzle on the classroom floor.
"It actually melted the linoleum and the floor area. It was pretty hot," Jachles said.
The school was briefly evacuated as a precaution, and students were let back into their classrooms a short time later.
Officials said the student was treated at the scene for a minor burn to his leg.
