Close call after reports of cell phone explosion at Hyannis assisted living facility

HYANNIS – Barnstable Police and Hyannis Fire rushed to a scene at the Captain Eldridge House on Pine Avenue shortly before 7 AM Saturday. According to reports, a cellphone began smoking and leaking. The occupant quickly left the unit, closing the door behind them and then called 911 from another phone. The smoke also set off the building’s fire alarm system. It is unclear if the phone exploded or not. No injuries were reported and damage was confined to the phone. Authorities are checking if a lithium-ion battery was the source of the malfunction. Further details were not immediately available.