St. Pete family says Jeep totaled by exploding Note 7

ST. PETERSBURG (FOX 13) - Just days after Samsung recalled its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, a St. Petersburg man says he found out the hard way why the recall was issued in the first place. 

Nathan Dornacher's wife, Lydia said the family went to a yard sale Labor Day morning. While unloading a desk they bought for their daughter, Nathan left his Note 7 charging in the center console of his Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Lydia said they sent their 8-year-old daughter, with the family's service dog, to get back in the vehicle because they were leaving to run more errands. But the dog knew something was wrong. Nathan looked out of the window and realized his Jeep was on fire. 

The phone had exploded and engulfed his Jeep in flames. 

St. Petersburg fire crews came to put out the fire. 

Nathan said his vehicle was a point of pride, telling FOX 13 News he had made many upgrades to the vehicle. Now those upgrades are ashes and Nathan will have to find a new ride.

Samsung recalled the smartphones in 10 countries last week, after 35 instances of Note 7s catching fire or exploding were confirmed.

Meanwhile, Samsung said customers who already bought Note 7s could swap them for new smartphones in about two weeks. It's two weeks too late for Nathan.

So far, there have been no reports of injuries related to the problem with the phones.

A Samsung spokesperson released the following statement to FOX 13 News.

"We are aware of the incident and we are working with Mr. Dornacher to investigate his case and ensure we do everything we can for him. Consumer safety is Samsung's highest priority. With regard to the Galaxy Note7, we are asking owners to take advantage of the Product Exchange Program announced on Friday of last week. The program offers Note7 owners the opportunity to exchange the phone for a new one. More details on the program can be found at http://www.samsung.com/us/note7exchange/."