iPhone glitch leads to false report of person on fire in Washington
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Lewiston Tribune staff
ASOTIN, Wa. (The Lewiston Tribune) — An Apple iPhone feature triggered a false alarm Monday afternoon by reporting a person was on fire near Lick Creek Road in Asotin County.
Life Flight, emergency medical crews, deputies and firefighters responded to the emergency, which turned out to be a hunter’s phone glitch.
Asotin County Fire Chief Noel Hardin said it appears the hunter’s phone was jostled while he was walking, and a text was accidentally sent to 911. Whitcom Regional Dispatch Center received a message saying a person was on fire, and first responders rushed to the rural location near a popular trailhead.
According to Apple Support information, holding down certain button combinations (like the side button and volume buttons) triggers a countdown that calls emergency services and automatically texts your designated emergency contacts with your location.
Modern iPhones with crash detection can trigger false emergency alerts caused by heavy impacts, motion, or bumping the device. If the countdown isn’t manually canceled in time, the phone automatically sends emergency text messages or alerts.