PHOENIX -- The Consumer Product Safety Commission is looking into multiple reports that Apple iPods are overheating and, in some cases, catching fire.

During its own investigation into the burning technology, 5 Investigates discovered three victims from the Valley.

Surprise resident Lee Askern said he was working on his computer when he noticed his iPod was getting warmer.

"It got hot, and then it got very hot, and then it got really hot to the extent that it was hard to hold," Askern said.

Askern said he thought it was hot enough to start a fire.

"Internally it appeared as if it was melting," he said.

Jamie Balderas said her iPod burned her.

"I went jogging for about 50 minutes (and) I put my iPod on before I went and took it off when I was done," she said. "My skin was burning really bad, like a bee sting that wouldn't stop … At first, I thought, 'How in the heck did I get burned right there?' Then I remembered I had my iPod right there."

The third victim, Haylie Mooney, received an iPod for Christmas, but after some use, touching it "was like touching the inside of an oven," she said.

"I looked at my hand, and it was red and started to get swollen," Haylie said. "I knew something had gone wrong with my iPod."

5 Investigates discovered dozens of cases of iPods, iPod Touches and iPhones overheating, catching fire and, in some cases, exploding.

The culprit appears to be the iPod's lithium ion battery -- the same type of battery recalled by Sony after it was linked to a string of laptop computer fires.

The CPSC has investigated or is in the process of investigating 18 incidents, including the following:

• In 2002, an iPod in a 14-year-old Michigan boy's bedroom set off a smoke alarm in the middle of the night.
• In 2006, an iPod started smoking and sparking in the middle of the night at one Illinois residence. It was so hot that it burned the stereo it was sitting on.
• In 2007, a 4-inch flame shot out of an iPod while it was charging in Washington, D.C.
• Also in 2007, a man's shirt caught fire in Atlanta when the iPod in his pocket overheated.

Other cases were reported in New York, Washington state and Portland, Ore.

Despite these cases, the three victims said Apple didn't seem too concerned when they contacted the company about the problem.

"Their response was somewhere along the line of 'Send us a check for $34 for shipping and handling, and we'll replace it,'" Askern said.

Haylie's mother's story was similar.

"Frankly, (Apple) didn't care," Tami Mooney said. "They didn't care that my child was burned. They didn't care (about) the possibility (that) other children were burned."

When Balderas tried to get more information, she said Apple was silent.

"I'm not sure how many incidents there are because they weren't willing to share," she said.

When 5 Investigates contacted Apple Inc. for comment and an on-camera interview, company spokesman Tom Neumayr sent an e-mail detailing Apple's position:

"iPods are incredibly well designed and safety is the highest priority for Apple. The number of confirmed incidents of batteries overheating is less that 0.0001 percent of all iPods sold, which is an incredibly small percentage and none of those incidents caused serious injury or serious property damage. If a customer has any concerns about their battery they should contact AppleCare."