There’s no doubt that Samsung’s new Galaxy S III is a popular gadget, despite not yet being available for many people in the U.S. and elsewhere. Indeed, you might even say it’s one of the hottest gadgets around right now. Of course, if you were to say that, you probably wouldn’t mean “hottest” literally. Unfortunately, though, that’s exactly how one particular Galaxy S III seems to have taken it. It seems that this phone, a global HSPA+ version, actually burst into flames in its owners car.

The phone’s owner, who posted the about the incident at Boards.ie, said that he was driving with the phone in a car mount when it began to emit white flames and sparks, followed by a bang. Upon inspection, he found that the phone had been burned from the inside out, melting the case to the phone and leaving melted plastic in his car. Though the phone continued to function (once it stopped burning), it no longer had any signal. The retailer where he’d purchased the phone promised to replace it, but only after sending it off to Samsung for inspection.

Fortunately, he also posted a few pictures of the burned phone. Check them out below:

Samsung issued a statement about the incident this morning on their Samsung Tomorrow blog. Unsurprisingly, they say they can’t say much without the actual phone in hand, which they’re still waiting to receive. They promise further details once the phone has been examined, and insist that “[w]e are committed to providing our customers with the safest products possible and are looking at this seriously.”

Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard about a smartphone blowing up. Last November we told you about an iPhone that cracked, smoked, and glowed red during a flight in Australia (apparently due to shoddy repair work).

There is no word yet on whether Apple intends to sue Samsung for copying yet another iPhone feature.