Investigators: Nokia phone did NOT set man on fire

Fire officials in Vallejo, California reported days ago that a mobile phone ignited in a sleeping man's pocket and set him on fire.

Now they're backing off that conclusion, according to a story in the San Francisco Chronicle.  They changed their minds after some Nokia reps looked at the phone and concluded it did not spontaneously combust.

The true cause of the blaze is a mystery.

"There were no matches. There were no lighters. He wasn't smoking. The only source was the phone that was in his pocket,'' Vallejo Fire Department inspector and spokesman Bill Tweedy had said Monday. "I know he didn't spontaneously combust."

But Tweedy said a visit Wednesday by Nokia's experts changed his conclusion.

Under Fire Department supervision, Nokia's engineers checked the phone's wiring, tested it for short circuits, inserted the existing battery and hit the power button, said Tweedy, who was present during the test.

The phone -- a Nokia 2125i -- turned on.

"The phone didn't short out," Tweedy said. "It didn't overheat. The phone still works even though it's burned ... if the phone had shorted out, it wouldn't have turned on."

Luis Picaso, 59, is in critical condition at the UC Davis Medical Center burn unit.