Langley family blames iPhone for farmhouse fire, seeking $600K in damages
Posted February 27, 2018 5:46 pm.
Last Updated February 27, 2018 5:56 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
LANGLEY (NEWS 1130) – A family in Langley is blaming a faulty Apple iPhone for burning down their farmhouse and is seeking $600,000 from the tech giant for uninsured losses and the closure of their farm.
Cathy and Ian Finley own Laurica Farm, located just minutes from the Aldergrove border crossing and known in the community for its sustainable farm tours, educational events, and camps.
The day after Thanksgiving 2016, Cathy Finley says she plugged her phone in and left it on a leather chair in the family’s living room before she headed out to feed her goats. She returned 20 minutes later.
“When I came out from the field, I just saw smoke billowing from our home,” she said, adding she wasn’t able to get inside because of the heat.
The fire was put out within an hour, but caused significant smoke and heat damage and ultimately led to the loss of many of the family’s possessions and the demolition of the remaining structure.
A fire investigator determined that “it would appear that the phone or charger generated enough heat to ignite the leather chair and notebook and start the fire.”
“While they’re not allowed to say the phone caused the fire, they can identify the phone as the origin of the fire,” Finley said.
Due to the extensive damage, Finley said the family closed the farm to the public. The $600,000 insurance payout allowed the family to start building a new home but did not cover all the costs and losses to their business.
Construction on the new home, which the Cathy and Ian are building themselves, began last August. The family stayed at a local hotel before renting a RV through the winter. They’ve since converted a storage shed into a living space.
Finlay first contacted Apple last February, but after dozens of emails she feels the conversation has gone nowhere.
“They were saying things to us like ‘we are going to make this right. I promise we will do everything can as soon as we can to help you guys,” she said, “But by October they really shut down.”
She says that’s when she and her husband created a list of the losses incurred by the fire, which amount to around $600,000 in uninsured costs.
“I would just like them to put us back in the same position as we were the day before the fire. I don’t think that’s unreasonable to ask,” she said, adding they have likely one more year before they need to sell the farm.
In an email to NEWS 1130, Apple said it is looking into the claim, but have yet to be able to analyze the phone. It also pointed to the fire department’s statement that a definitive cause had not been determined, and the device was on a combustible surface.
“The phone is currently with an independent forensic lab. It’s been held up between the insurance and Apple for some time because both are trying to protect their interests,” Finley said, adding the whole ordeal has taken its toll on her mental health and she now takes mood stabilizers.
The family started an online petition posting all their communications with Apple, including tear-filled phone calls, urging the company to “do the right thing.” The petition has garnered more than 1,800 signatures as of Tuesday.
Finley also encourages people to be more careful while charging their devices and hopes companies will be more explicit about possible dangers of their products.