"I told them my house had burned to the ground and that I wouldn't need DirecTV anymore," he said. "They said, 'OK.' "

But on Oct. 1, Gray saw that DirecTV had withdrawn nearly $280 from his bank account. He immediately called the company to ask what was up.

"They said it was a non-return fee for my two satellite boxes," Gray recalled. "They said it wasn't negotiable."

Luckily Ken Gray got in touch with reporter David Lazarus and the company said that they had neglected to flag Mr. Gray for "special handling." Fair enough. But why couldn't the customer service reps had a soul in the first place?

DirecTV customer service leaves Station fire victim feeling burned [LAT] (Thanks to Angela!)

RELATED:
AT&T Asks CA Wildfire Victims If They Remembered To Pick Up Satellite Receiver As They Fled Their Burning House
Comcast: Fire Destroyed Your Cable Box? Pay Up.

(Photo: mbtrama)

The recalled vehicles are:

• 1995-2003 Windstar
• 2000-2003 Excursion
• 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 F-Super Duty
• 1992-2003 Econoline
• 1995-2002 Explorer
• 1995-2002 Mercury Mountaineer
• 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 Ranger
• 1994 F53

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will make the necessary repairs free of charge. The recall starts October 26, and owners can contact Ford at 1-888-222-2751.

More information is available at NHTSA's website and Consumer Reports Online.
(Photo: Great Beyond)

Ken Stanborough, 47, from Liverpool, dropped his 11-year-old daughter Ellie's iPod Touch last month. "It made a hissing noise," he said. "I could feel it getting hotter in my hand, and I thought I could see vapour". Mr Stanborough said he threw the device out of his back door, where "within 30 seconds there was a pop, a big puff of smoke and it went 10ft in the air".

Mr Stanborough contacted Apple and Argos, where he had bought the device for £162. After being passed around several departments, he spoke to an Apple executive on the telephone. As a result of the conversation, Apple sent a letter to Mr Stanborough denying liability but offering a refund.

The letter also stated that, in accepting the money, Mr Stanborough was to "agree that you will keep the terms and existence of this settlement agreement completely confidential", and that any breach of confidentiality "may result in Apple seeking injunctive relief, damages and legal costs against the defaulting persons or parties".

She's only the latest customer to report an iPod catching fire or exploding, and Apple was happy to keep the story quiet until the past few weeks. A Seattle TV station filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the CPSC, and received 800 pages of information on iPod incidents involving explosions, burns, or fire in the U.S.

This could just be because the devices are so ubiquitous. Or maybe the iPods are plotting to take us all out in a series of tiny, tiny fiery blasts.

Apple tried to silence owner of exploding iPod with gagging order [Times of London]
Apple Downplays Fiery iPod Incidents [KIRO]

RELATED:
iPod Nano Explodes While Charging
Apple Agrees To Replace Exploding First-Gen iPods After Japan Demands Action

(Photo: Joe Hastings)

The problem is a leaky fuel hose which could spray enough gas around your engine to light it on fire. As you can imagine, this is not ideal for you. The problem affects 2005-2006 Bajas, of which there are 15,633.

If you own one of these cars, you may contact Subaru to have a new fuel pump installed, free of charge: 1-800-782-2783

SUBARU / BAJA [NHTSA]

Chris writes,

Hi Consumerist,

I thought you might be interested in this story. I haven't seen a story like this on the site and I am curious about what others think/know about the law surrounding this issue.

I stopped at the local Citgo (used to be Hess) gas station in my town to fill up for a trip north. As I was filling up I could smell some cigarette smoke in the air. I thought it might have just been a few particles drifting around in the air, but instead, to my amazement, I saw not one, not two, but THREE Citgo employees smoking while chit-chatting at the station. I was in shock, I couldn't believe employees of all people would be the ones smoking at a gas station. Knowing I couldn't let this go, I pulled out my camera and snapped some photos. I didn't want to make a scene or confrontation, so I took them from a distance using my optical zoom. I think they even saw me taking photos and just smiled and kept on going as if they were perfectly OKAY with what they were doing. Wow!

In one of the pictures you can see the "NO SMOKING SHUT OFF ENGINE BY ORDER OF STATE FIRE MARSHAL" sign clearly posted. I am pretty sure what they were doing was illegal but I'm really curious what law was broken and if anyone knows how it's enforced. I looked around in the Florida Statutes and Florida's Administrative Code (FL Rules) for State Fire Marshall regulations for gas stations. How do I report this, notify the fire marshal, contact Citgo corporate?

We looked it up. Florida has adopted the National Fire Protection Association's standards, including National Fire Protection Association Rule 30A, Code for Motor Fuel Dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages, Chapter 9.2.5.1, which states, in part: "Smoking materials, including matches and lighters, shall not be used within 6 m (20 ft) of areas used for fueling, servicing fuel systems of internal combustion engines, or receiving or dispensing of Class I or Class II liquids . . . ."

Here is the contact info page for Florida's State Fire Marshal. We tried their email link, so we could send them these pictures, but it didn't work. Perhaps you would have better luck giving them a call. As for contacting Citgo corporate, we're a little unclear whether Citgo has a different corporate administrative structure than typical gas stations, or if their "independently owned and operated" mantra is because of the whole Hugo Chavez thing. It's probably worth getting in touch with them, and you should be able to find contact info here. Your fellow customers appreciate your vigilance, and we hope someone addresses this before there's an accident.

(Photo: donbuciak)

According to a Fox News story, the Seattle TV station KIRO-TV — which apparently no longer has the story up on its site — ferreted out federal documents that underline the hotness:

In a report posted on its Web site Tuesday, KIRO-TV says it used the Freedom of Information Act to get more than 800 pages of Consumer Product Safety Commission documents regarding iPod-related injuries and property damage.

Within the documents were details of at least 15 separate incidents where iPods overheated, sparked, smoked, caused burns or caught fire, KIRO-TV said.

The story says one iPod flamed a bedside chair, one burned a teen girl's hand and another went flame-on while aboard a ship. Hot stuff, baby.

Report: Federal Documents Detail iPods Overheating, Catching Fire [Fox News]
(Photo: yoshiffles)

ConAgra spokespeople have been quick to offer funding for workers affected by the plant collapse, but not quite quick enough to explain why the heck they need 34,000 gallons of ammonia to make a spicy meat stick in the first place. [Ammonia is used to refrigerate the meat. -Ed.] The blast occurred in the packaging area of the plant.

Update: Chris here. I approved the photo selection for this post, and I do apologize for offending anyone. I did not think the original pic provided much editorial commentary one way or the other on the story, as it was really just a recreation of the imagery used in their marketing, so I said "publish!" I've read the comments, however, and I see that it touched a nerve for a lot of readers.

Keep the rest of the comments related to the story from here on, please, and direct any further complaints about the tone or appropriateness of the post to me, or to Ben or Meg. (The best way to bring editorial complaints to our attention is to email a politely worded alert to us directly, as we aren't always monitoring comments on every post.)

-Chris

"Recovery over, investigation begins" [WRAL]

He fled in a tan pickup truck and was spotted at another Walmart, where he was apprehended by law enforcement. The Walmarts had been alerted to keep an eye out for the arsonist. The fire was said to have damaged thousands of dollars worth of merchandise and caused significant damage to the store. Dang, who even knew the men's section at Walmart was worth that much.

Jilted customer starts fire in Manatee Wal-Mart [HeraldTribune] (Thanks to Gregory!)

Fire Kills Thousands of Chickens [KIRO Seattle] (Thanks, Matt!)

...they sent Jillian a new adapter and had received her old adapter. HP said that the adapter cords were bent and abused and that's what caused the device failure. They also said that Jillian had further complained about her laptop overheating and they had said she could send it in but she did not want to.

Reached for additional comment, Jillian disagreed with HP's version. By email she said that her "laptop power cord was never bent, twisted, or pinched. My laptop was never used for travel. I'm an adult with no children, and it has only been used by me (quite gently I might add)."

She acknowledged that she received the replacement adapter but, since it was sent without HP checking out the first one, she felt uncomfortable using it, not wanting a repeat of the fire incident.

In addition, she said she had complained about the laptop overheating for months, that it would get, "scalding hot to the touch after only 10 minutes of use." It was only the morning that HP called Consumerist that HP told Jillian she should send her laptop in to have it looked at.

Despite HP's efforts, Jillian has given up on the computer maker. "At this point, I want nothing more to do with this laptop and the people at HP," she writes. "I would like to either receive an apology with a replacement laptop, or have them buy it back from me. This laptop is a safety hazard, and I have enough to worry about without wondering if my laptop is going to burn my house down every time I leave the room."

Well, apologies aren't worth the paper, or pixels, they're printed on so your best bet at this point is to send in your laptop to HP for repair.

PREVIOUSLY: HP Adapter Catches Fire, Burns Pants, Execs Ignore

(Photo: rust.bucket)

Pants pants, burning bright, in my house in the night, thanks to a malfunctioning power adapter for the HP dv2845se. It's no Blake but it is what happened to reader Jillian Madison. While she was using her laptop, her adapter started sparking and burst into flames, burning a hole in her pants and causing a welt on her legs. Now, after dozens of phone calls and emails to HP executive support and HP executives, and 6 weeks of waiting, she hasn't heard a thing back from HP, though she says some reps have given her an earful of rudeness.

On April 9th, 2009, the power adapter to my gently used, well cared for 11-month old HP dv2845se laptop randomly started sparking (where it connects to the laptop) and quickly burst into flames while I was using it. It was so bad that the sparks burned a hole in my pants, and caused a welt on my leg. I'm not exaggerating when I say had I not been at home to unplug the adapter from the wall, this quite possibly could have burned down my home and injured/killed my pets/family, etc.

You'd think HP would promptly react to such a safety issue and possible PR disaster, right? WRONG. During the first week after the adapter caught on fire, I made dozens of phonecalls to the Executive Customer Service number you provided, but was dismissed and blown off by everyone I spoke to. Reps Angie, Rochelle, and Kathy rudely told me there was nothing they could do, and that I had to sit around and wait for someone in their safety team to contact me. At one point, I even asked an INCREDIBLY rude rep named Yun-Sil to let me speak to a manager. She said he wasn't available but he'd call me back within 2 hours. I asked for the manager's name (Jeff Yutigard), but to this day, he hasn't called me back.

It took Harry Jeffery at the HP safety team almost 2 weeks to contact me. I immediately sent my burned power adapter back to them via FedEx, but have not heard back from anyone since that time. I've written dozens of emails and made 10+ phonecalls to Harry Jeffery and to other "executives" at HP, but they are all ignoring me. I even emailed executives Jon Flaxman, Shane Robinson, Ann Livermore, and Mark Hurd at the suggestion of one of your commenters, but have not gotten any reply. Harry Jeffery won't return my phonecalls and should be fired.

I certainly don't appreciate being sold faulty, cheap equipment - and then being mocked and ignored by HP employees after the fact. One thing is for sure - I certainly won't go away until this issue is resolved. And in the meanwhile, I urge all readers to use caution with their power adapters and unplug them when you're not using them. Because trust me, your whole house could be burned down by their faulty equipment and they wouldn't care. They have your money.

Jillian Madison

Sounds like HP might need to expand that recall.

(Photos: reversedecay, cag2012)

Now you know.

How many.....packets of Taco Bell Fire Sauce does it take to refill a bottle of it? [Dennis Judd]

"[The pilot] said, 'Do you see that over there? That's your luggage,'" Tadel recalled. She looked out the plane's window and saw a man with a hose and a big plume of smoke.

The pilot and flight crew were exceptionally nice to Tadel, actually: the pilot went down and retrieved her medicine from her smoldering luggage, and the crew upgraded her to first class.

Sadly, the rest of United ignored Tadel's reimbursement claim for the past two months. She finally contacted the Chicago Tribune for help, and when they contacted United, the airline promptly made an offer. They also said they had only just now received the customer's claims and were already working on it when the newspaper called, which sounds suspiciously lame.

"Luggage burned; passenger frosted" [Chicago Tribune] (Thanks to Kerry!)
(Photos: jaqian and Arria Belli)

That's what happened to Kirk — and he's refusing to pay up, so Comcast has been harassing him for months. Finally, they stopped letting him use OnDemand, so Kirk canceled.

The story began when the Fire Department was summoned to Kirk's house at 5:30 AM because his cable box had caught fire. He says he never received an apology from Comcast, or any reassurance that the flaming cable box would be investigated. What he did get is a bill for $88 for destroyed equipment.

From The Daily Journal:

What was — and is — of concern to Comcast is the apparent loss of a piece of their equipment, which they billed me for, as though I were responsible for its untimely end! For several months, despite repeated telephone calls explaining why I cannot return their equipment (each of which ends nowhere and during each of which they thank me for choosing Comcast!), the $88 for their lost equipment has remained on my monthly statement along with late fees.

To add insult to injury, I wrote a letter of complaint to the corporate head office in September and, to date, have not received a response to my letter, much less an apology or any kind of guarantee that they will absorb the cost of their faulty equipment.

To be fair, I have paid the full amount of my service each month — less the $88 — which amounts to several hundred dollars, and always on time. In fact, I have been a good customer for almost eight years, and yet Comcast was willing to lose a customer who spends thousands of dollars each year on their services for an $88 piece of equipment that could have killed me in my sleep.

We asked Comcast if they had a comment about the incident, since Mr. Wisemayer didn't seem to be having much luck contacting them. Here's what they told us:

We spoke to Mr. Wisemayer this morning and apologized for his experience with our service. Our team is looking into these events and will work with Mr. Wisemayer to restore his service to his satisfaction.

If you're having trouble successfully communicating with Comcast, you should contact their team of powerful internet ninjas. They can be found at Twitter.

Burned up over cable company response [Daily Journal](Thanks, Mike!)
(Photo: Getty)

The majority of the laptops with the dangerous batteries were from HP, but there were also Toshiba and Dell computers included in the recall. The batteries were manufactured by Sony.

For a list of computers, click here.

From NBC 10:

Fire victims from the Riverwalk at Millennium condominium complex told NBC10 and the property management of the apartment complex that Comcast is going to charge residents to replace any cable boxes destroyed in the fire.

NBC 10 contacted Comcast and the company said it's true.

Fire victims will have to cover the cost, but residents should get reimbursed by their insurance companies, whether they are renters or homeowners.

How much will fire victims have to pay?

"We don't share specific information about our costs, but they can vary depending on the type of box — HD boxes, Digital Video Recorder, etc. We're doing all we can to accommodate our customers who were affected by the fire," a Comcast spokes person said.

“They have agreed to extend the due date for charges related to the damaged boxes until Nov. 15, which does allow the insurance companies for these residents time to process the claim and provide residents with funds for which to pay that due," said Lauren McDonald from Riverwalk Property

Comcast says they're not going to bill the fire victims for the cable they're not watching and will waive future installation fees.

Comcast Charging Residents For Equipment Lost In Condo Fire [NBC 10] (Thanks, Steve !)
Conshohocken Apartment Fire Ruled Accidental
[MyFoxPhilly]
(Photo: WTXF )

Dale sent us his lengthy missive to Steve Jobs:

I am writing this in regards to an issue I have had with an iPod nano, first generation. I have included the relevant pictures of my iPod after this incident and links to related issues.

I had plugged the iPod in to charge on Saturday August 16, 2008. I was using the USB cable that came with the iPod and charging via the USB port on my PC. After being plugged in for somewhere between 5-10 minutes I heard a sizzling sound. I looked down on the iPod just in time to see it explode open and start shooting sparks and spewing smoke. I managed to unhook the iPod from my computer's USB port immediately. I had noticed that a small fire had started on the table I had the laptop and the iPod sitting on, and I managed to extinguish those flames quickly before any apparent damage could be done to my laptop. Unlike in other cases, I've read about, my iPod continued to spew smoke and spit sparks while throwing out some kind of sooty substance from the inside of the iPod for several minutes after removing the cable from the computer. I moved the still spitting iPod from the table and placed it on a book case across the room. I noticed that while doing this, the iPod was still extraordinarily hot to the touch.

I immediately called up the apple tech support line while I opened a window to clear the smoke out of my apartment. After weeding through their electronic menu, I was put on hold for around 15 minutes. This gave me some time to calm down, and after telling the representative that my iPod nano exploded, I was transferred directly to the customer support supervisor at the time. His extension is X86702. He walked me through a 20 minute survey regarding the issue before putting me on hold again to contact the "engineers". After this, he informed me that he did not get through, but would hear back from them that evening for certain. I was also informed that Apple would replace my iPod regardless at this point even though it's older. I have to take a few moments to commend him as he seemed to genuinely want to help me. I had asked what I could do to get a replacement iPod ASAP. I was told to go to the nearest apple store and they should be able to replace it. I also asked if it was ok to make an appointment for that evening, and I was told it would be fine as we should have heard back from the "engineers" by then.

After waiting several hours and not hearing back from the supervisor, I attempted to contact him at the extension and number I was given. This was transferred directly to his voicemail and I did not hear back from him that night. I had then traveled to the local apple store in Pittsburgh, PA to see what could be done about the iPod. Here I was told that "it's been submitted as a request to the 'engineers' and can't be handled". The support tech at the Genius Bar seemed genuinely concerned and opened a separate case file to see if he could do anything to help me out. He found out that all he could do was submit it to the engineers who would NOT be in until monday. At this point, I became overly frustrated that the original tech had led me to believe this issue could have been sorted out that day. Also I do not think I'm being unreasonable by asking a company to replace the iPod with a different iPod product, as I could easily have been hurt or injured by the one that had malfunctioned!

I had asked the tech if there's any way he can replace it as the guy on the phone had told me that the local store could swap it out. He then went into the office to confer with the manager and the GM via phone. He returned to tell me that they can NOT exchange the iPod, and can only escalate the claim to the "engineers". At which point, I became upset that, once again, the original tech was wrong that this could be handled on-site at the local apple store. I once again asked if they could do anything as I'm overly frustrated with the service I'm receiving; I was told that the iPod would be replaced regardless. At this point, the tech went back to the office to confer once again with the manager.

The manager comes out with the tech shortly after and explains to me that no one at apple has EVER heard of this happening (although, I have found articles that counter this), and that she did not believe there was anything that she could do. She asked me to "do her a favor" and wait until monday night (EST) to handle this matter. I informed her that I understand that she's stuck in a hard situation, but I was promised by someone in the support that this could be handled at a local store, and that the iPod would be replaced. She walks back into the back room, and shortly returns with a phone number. She calls up the GM and puts him on the phone with me. At this point, I want to commend the in-store staff as they seemed concerned about this issue and really wanted to make it right. I really do not wish to paint the store employees in a bad way as they had really tried to help me. The GM is, of course, another issue.

The GM gets on the phone and tells me who he is and he's sorry to hear this. He goes on to inform me that they CAN NOT and WILL NOT give me another iPod. He mentions that this has to go to the engineers first before he will even CONSIDER dealing with the issue. I mention that I have read the reports of this happening before, and that there are numerous instances. He scoffs at this and implies that this is a completely unusual occurrence and no one he knows of has heard of it.

I mention to him that the guy at tech support had told me this can be replaced at the local store. Once again, he says that NOTHING will be done until the engineers look at the iPod, and until he talks with them on monday. I ask why that is, and he says "to make sure there are no safety issues or concerns." I asked what were the issues regarding the safety, to which he replied "there are numerous things that could probably cause this". I asked him to name a few, and was met with "the list is too long to mention." I found this odd, as he had told me before he had never heard of this issue, yet could think of a long list of things that could cause an iPod to explode and catch fire.

I continued to ask what the safety issue would be if he just replaced the iPod. To which he said "it could be the cables". I told him that the tech support on the phone informed me that i should not use those cables, and that they would be replaced when the iPod is. The GM informs me that they DO NOT replace cables. I continued to say, but, if he was to replace the iPod and the cables, that it would eliminate any safety risk. He assured me that was not the case. I then informed him that it sounds like he was accusing me of intentionally doing this to my iPod. He claimed he wasn't, but I pointed out that if you replace any and all apple hardware involved, there's no safety issue, UNLESS the issue is with my existing hardware that's not apple. he informed me that that was not the case. I informed him that if this was due to a defective iPod, replacing the iPod eliminates the safety issue. He told me that it might not be that case. To which I asked, what exactly safety issue there was if the fault was NOT with apple software. He repeated that they need to look over the iPod to determine any safety issues before even considering replacing the iPod. I became very frustrated at this point that he was trying to use double speak in order to make excuses and push the blame onto me.

At this point I offered to leave the faulty iPod with the apple store to send off to the engineers as needed, but that I wanted my iPod replaced as I was promised by the tech on the phone. The GM informs me that the tech was in no way, shape, or form allowed to make that guarantee to me. At this point, and I am ashamed to say, I lost my temper with the GM. I told him that I was not pleased at all with this service since I was promised that the iPod would be replaced, and yet it was not going to be. The GM informed me that he wasn't even sure if it NEEDED to be replaced let alone if apple WOULD replace it. After this turn, my language became peppered with profanity. The GM continued on to tell me that he's not going to do anything about the issue, and that I could sit there all night and tell him how he should handle it, but it is NOT now he will handle it.

In other words, the GM wanted to take up more of my time in order to try and push the blame on me for the iPod breaking, completely negate anything I was told originally by tech support, and try to get me out of their store as quickly as he could without doing anything to resolve the issue.

After reading another issue or two, it appears as though apple is now saying that even if it is a faulty piece of equipment and does damage to other objects or people, that it is NOT their responsibility to replace it unless you have a current warranty. I had not picked up the extended warranty due to the fact that, at the time, I had not received word of any issues. Now, I am fully regretting that decision as I'm sure that they would not allow me to take out a warranty now to cover the issue. This upsets me as they have made a precedent to replace products, even out of warranty, if the issue is due to a severe product malfunction such as this.

After this, I can fully say that I am not pleased at all with how this issue has been handled by apple. I have been informed of an email address within the Apple company, and I plan on sending a copy of this email, along with the pictures to that address also. From the various stories I have read, of which I have included links, it has been made clear that this is NOT an isolated incident as Apple would have me believe. I do not feel that Apple has been doing a sufficient job of resolving this matter in any way, shape, or form. Based on the other reports, I do not have much hope that this matter will be resolved in any timely fashion, that my iPod will be replaced, that I will be compensated for anything, that I will get an apology for their tech support making claims that they were not permitted to, or for the store obviously not being on the same page as tech support. Frankly, in my search for information regarding the iPod, I've found other reports that claim this type of fault for other issues. This ranges from problems with computers, to mp3 players, and even to censoring comments and forum posts regarding bugs with their products. By bringing this up, I hope to make it known that these type of issues appear to be common with apple. Like other manufacturers, they sometimes produce faulty products, however, they seem to want to protect their corporate image and pockets more than make up for their faulty product. In this case, it was a known issue with this model of iPod and the company did not seem to make any motions to address the issue. I hope that by making this public, people may be able to avoid this issue happening with their own electronics, and that they may be prepared for what they would have to deal with in the process of attempting to resolve the issue. While Apple may produce numerous ad campaigns that make them seem almost invincible, their products are like any others: buyer beware.

The fiery Nano:

Dale's burnt desk:

The pictures look awfully similar to other iPods that have spontaneously combusted.

This iPod exploded yesterday and we don't see the harm in giving Apple a day to sort out what went wrong. Still, we're not sure how the engineers can do much without the physical unit, and it would seem wise for the Apple store to have an unspoken policy of 'Return Exploded iPod, Get 1 Free!'

Update: Apple agreed to replace the iPod.

My in-laws lost their house to a fire in January. Rebuilding went down to the bricks in some places, and wall studs in others. Complete loss, complete rebuild.

When they tried to move their phone number to their temporary apartment abode during home reconstruction, Verizon wouldn’t do it. This was a Verizon land line they’d had for maybe 25 years or so int two different homes. The Verizon rep told them they only thing they could do was forward the old number to the new number.

OK, said my father-in-law, accepting that he’d have to pay for two phone lines for the duration. Forward that number.

We can’t do it, said the Verizon reps, only you can do it. Get this: they were told to call from their old phone to request the forwarding service. Yes, the phone in a house that burned down. Yes, calling on phones that had turned into lumps of melted plastic with metal bits sticking out.

Maybe it's time to write a "What To Say To People Whose House Burned Down" script?

Sadly, the story doesn't end there. The in-laws are now having trouble getting Verizon to hook up the phones in their rebuilt house.

Verizon Sucks [Technology is Broken via Networkworld] (Thanks, Charlie!)
(Photo: The Joy Of The Mundane )

"If it had not been for the sprinklers, this building would have probably burnt to the ground," said Jennifer Mieth, a spokeswoman for state Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan.

[...]

The jugs were covered by cloth rags and stacked in a hallway closet that housed the air conditioning system, Chief Arruda said.

[...]

The husband jumped from the second-floor balcony to escape the fire and sprained his ankle, he said. Everyone else escaped the building without injury.

The Fire Marshal's Office determined that the fire was accidental, resulting from a heat source — likely the natural gas water heater or a propane-powered cooking appliance — igniting vapors from the stored gas, Ms. Mieth said.

The couple, who have yet to be named, can expect a letter from the folks behind the Darwin Awards reading, "We like your style, but try harder next time."

Gas hoarding eyed as cause of Dartmouth apartment fire [The Standard-Times]
(Photo: Getty)

"Fast forward about two hours later and she wakes up to a room filled with black, acrid smoke and the heating pad charring the sheets and melting into the bed. She had said before this that even on low it was still way too hot, but somehow last night even after being turned off and cooling down it still managed to do the following damage to her mattress and sheets"

"We've informed the Walgreen's we bought it from and the assistant manager said they would pull the heating pad from their shelves. We'll be contacting Sunbeam directly about this either tomorrow or Thursday. Has anyone ever dealt with something like this before or have any advice on possibly recouping some damages from a possible defect? It appears as though all operating instructions were followed and the warranty wasn't violated."

Keep excellent documentation of this issue. You want want to show it to a lawyer. Maybe even this one:

Product liability attorney George McLaughlin has been involved in close to 100 cases against Sunbeam in 11 years.

"I have with me today four different heating pads, all of which are clearly burned," he said as he showed us the pads.

McLaughlin said most of the cases have involved electric blankets or electric mattress covers, but recently he has been getting more heating pad claims.

He said he is now planning to file a lawsuit against Sunbeam on behalf of five clients who said they were burned as a result of defective heating pads that malfunctioned.

Heating pads fall under the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration because they're considered medical devices.

The FDA said it has received more than 40 complaints - reports of adverse incidents - about Sunbeam heating pads since 2001.

Any other suggestions?

An Adventure with a Walgreen's Heating Pad [LiveJournal](Thanks, Jeff!)
Potential Heating Pad Danger [ABC6]

540 Caught Fire [BimmerFest] (Thanks to Ziemowit!)
(Photo: Getty)

Cleaveland.com reports:

The batteries came from Avestor, a Canadian company that went bankrupt in October 2006. AT&T stopped installing the batteries in early 2007, after the first incident, Coe said. AT&T also hired a consultant to investigate their safety, but was told the batteries posed no greater risk than alternative batteries from other suppliers.

Here's what they look like before they explode:

Your World Delivered . . . On Fire [Save Access]
AT&T Begins Massive Battery Replacement [Light Reading] (Thanks to Danger Mouse & David!)

We're guessing a defective battery is the culprit, thus illustrating the perils of ignoring global product recall announcements.

More pictures in the indecipherable forum where they first appeared: Dell [Hi-PDA via The Raw Feed]

3-year-old Jack Livingston's jammies, which had already been washed at least 10 times, bore a label proclaiming they had a "low fire danger."

"If we had not been close by in the house, he would have been totally burnt. The pyjama top completely disintegrated, there was no smouldering just flames," said Mr. Livingston.

Jack is said now to be recovering well and running and playing normally.

There's no evidence the pajamas have made their way to the US, but the story reveals the importance of keeping abreast of the latest consumer product recalls.

Jack's brush with death [Waikato Times]
(Photo: Iain McGregor)

• On August 8th, 2007, a Verizon tech went to the home of one Patrick O'Malley to install Verizon FIOS. While installing the wiring, the tech drilled directly into the electrical main, causing a small electrical fire and a localized blackout of the O'Malley's neighborhood.
• Eyewitnesses, including O'Malley's wife, saw smoke billowing out of the wall. The fire department was called. They put out the fire, then ripped apart the walls to make sure it had not spread. It had not.
• The Needham Times reported on the fire, quoting the O'Malley's neighbor as saying, "I noticed my TV was flickering off and on, something was wrong," said Thelma Papetti, who lives next door to the fire at 60 Pine Grove St. "Then the fire trucks came."
• Networkworld blogger Paul McNamara picked up the story and called the Needham Deputy Fire Chief, Al DeIulio, who told him that the Verizon technician "was drilling on the outside of the house when he hit an electrical main" and started the fire. "He's lucky he's not dead," says DeIulio.
• At this time, The Consumerist notes, "The damage to the house was minor." The homeowners are quoted in the Neeham Times as saying, "There was not that much damage. We'll be alright."
• Verizon responds to Networkworld's post and the Needham Time's story with a "correction" that said, (among other things):

  "One of our new techs was installing a triple play at a Needham home (they're selling like hotcakes, btw). When drilling a hole for the Optical Network Terminal, he accidentally hit an electrical wire, knocking out power to the house. Our bad, but no smoke, and no fire. Out of an overabundance of caution (always a good thing) the local fire department was called."

• Steven Ryan, the original reporter on the story, called Al DeIulio to see if he had been mistaken. Al responded: "If there's flames, there's fire." Both The Consumerist and Paul @ Networkworld made note of this contradiction. Paul also provided an eyewitness account from O'Malley's wife: "I was one of 50 people there watching gray smoke billowing from the electric meter panel."

You might think that would be enough for Verizon. Their tech made a mistake, caused a small electrical fire and they've apologized and promised to pay for the damages. No one would ask any more of them, honestly. Everyone makes mistakes, it's how you handle them that is what matters most.

Verizon is not handling this well. Rather than act with the sort of class one would expect from such a large corporation (see: Above & Beyond), Verizon has decided to enter a juvenile "flame war" (no pun intended) with a blogger about his use of the word "fire."

Yes, for some inexplicable reason, Verizon has posted a personal attack on Paul McNamara on their own blog. Who knew Verizon had a blog?

Here's Eric W. Rabe, director of corporate media relations, posting on Verizon's policy blog:

Well, one certainly hates to fan the flames of Paul McNamara's efforts to take down Verizon. So let me repeat that we regret that there was any problem at a home in Needham, MA, during recent work there by a Verizon technician. We worked cooperatively with officials at the scene to restore electrical service. The next day the customer allowed us to finish the installation of her new FiOS TV, Internet, and phone service. We have apologized to the customer and taken financial responsibility for repairs. When accidents such as this do happen we step up and do the right thing and we did in this case.

But let's keep this in perspective. FiOS is a hot product, but not that hot. No house was "set ablaze" as McNamara wrote in his post on this incident. We won't parse words with the fire chief, but if there was either smoke or fire, it did not cause extensive damage. Want to see? The fire department opened the wall to be sure nothing was burning inside a crawl space. Here are two see four new photos at bottom of the area where, as we have said, our technician's drill hit an electric wire. There is far more damage from opening the wall than from any smoke or flames.

Importantly, the incident has little to do with the Verizon's fiber or FiOS technology. This was the sort of accident that could happen during a lot of household projects like building a deck or installing a dryer vent hose.

McNamara seems to believe the old adage "where there's smoke, there's fire." We didn't think there was either smoke or fire, but, if there was, the damage was minimal and we're taking care of repairs. The most smoke here comes from Paul McNamara's efforts to turn this ember of a story into a forest fire.

In any case, we find it very, very strange that Verizon would choose to go down this road. It's just not wise. Rather than "putting out the fire," their continued attempts to spin and intimidate newspaper reporters and bloggers with pointless semantic arguments makes them come off as strange, mean bullies.

Verizon, according to the US. Fire Administration, "home electrical problems account for 67,800 fires, 485 deaths, and $868 million in property losses" every single year. It is not out of an "overabundance of caution" that one would call the fire department after a technician drilled into the electrical main, causing smoke to billow from the walls. The Needham fire department did not rip apart the walls because they thought they might find delicious candy. We consider the matter closed.

Now Consumerist has "Verizon Face." No one is safe.

Update:FiOS is Hot, but not that Hot [Verizon Policy Blog]

(Photo:Verizon)

PREVIOUSLY: Verizon Sets Fire To Your Home
Verizon: There Was No Fire. Fire Department: Yes, There Was A Fire.

On Aug. 8, a Verizon tech lit fire to the home of one Patrick O'Malley after drilling into the electrical wiring of his house. The fire caused a small power outage in Needham, Mass., a suburb of Boston.

"I noticed my TV was flickering off and on, something was wrong," said Thelma Papetti, who lives next door to the fire at 60 Pine Grove St. "Then the fire trucks came."

Needham Deputy Fire Chief Al Deiulio tells me that the Verizon technician "was drilling on the outside of the house when he hit an electrical main" and started the fire.

"He's lucky he's not dead," says Deiulio.

No word on when their next appointment will be!

We'd like to take this moment to remind you to submit your "Verizon Face" to the Consumerist Flickr Pool. Tag your photo "Verizon Face."

Verizon tech sets fire to home — accidentally [Networkworld]

(Photo:Getty)

Unlike the glut of Sony recalls in months past, this one is "not an internal battery cell defect." — BEN POPKEN

Gateway Inc. Recalls Notebook Computer Batteries Due to Fire Hazard [CPSC]
(Background photo: Tom Adamson)

On Monday morning I was heading to work like any other day.. little did I know that my home was being consumed by a raging fire. I arrived my desk to find that the phone was ringing - I needed to come home immediately was the message.

When I arrived home the entire street was blocked with fire and rescue crews. My 130 year old former farm house was engulfed in flames, with thick dark smoke pouring out of the windows and roof. Over 60 firefighters from 4 departments fought the blaze and battled equipment failures due to the near zero degree weather.

Hours later, after investigation the fire Marshall investigator took me aside asked me if I had a laptop computer. Yes — I told him I had a Dell Inspiron 1200...

It was determined that the laptop, battery, or cord malfunctioned around 15 minutes after I left for work, and quickly spread through the living room, the nearby dining room, and then up a stairwell into the bedrooms. Virtually the entire house suffered extensive fire, smoke, or water damage. The cold weather ensured that water quickly turned to ice which has further burdened and damaged the structure. All of our possessions have been lost - photos, keepsakes, clothes —everything. It looks like the house will be a total loss.

" I have tried to call Dell to at least notify them of my problems, but each time I have called I get transferred into an endless loop of "Joe" or "Alan" all speaking a delectable version of English I presume emanates from Bangalore. I have been outright hung up on each time I get someone who speaks a reasonable version of English, or sounds like they might be in charge of something. Promises of call backs have gone, of course, unreturned.

Maybe you can help notify them. Or maybe pass along my new motto for Dell—

"Dude, you're getting a burned down house!"

Dan Writes: Dear Consumerist:

I've been a reader of your site for sometime. When the recent
problems began with laptop batteries I read about it at
consumerist.com. I own two Dell laptops — one for my wife and one
for myself — so I immediately checked out the model numbers and
batteries against dells website designed for the purpose.

On Monday morning I was heading to work like any other day.. little
did I know that my home was being consumed by a raging fire. I
arrived my desk to find that the phone was ringing - I needed to come
home immediately was the message.

When I arrived home the entire street was blocked with fire and rescue
crews. My 130 year old former farm house was engulfed in flames, with
thick dark smoke pouring out of the windows and roof. Over 60
firefighters from 4 departments fought the blaze and battled equipment
failures due to the near zero degree weather.

Hours later, after investigation the fire Marshall investigator took
me aside asked me if I had a laptop computer. Yes — I told him I had
a Dell Inspiron 1200. I had used it briefly while waiting for my car
to warm up. My wife had also used it to check her email and news
before she left for work and to drop our 18-month old daughter off to
work. I had left the laptop in sleep mode with the lid closed on the
edge of the sofa in the living room.

It was determined that the laptop, battery, or cord malfunctioned
around 15 minutes after I left for work, and quickly spread through
the living room, the nearby dining room, and then up a stairwell into
the bedrooms. Virtually the entire house suffered extensive fire,
smoke, or water damage. The cold weather ensured that water quickly
turned to ice which has further burdened and damaged the structure.
All of our possessions have been lost - photos, keepsakes, clothes —
everything. It looks like the house will be a total loss.

Since the incident my homeowners company has been very interested in
the information about the laptop. I have tried to call Dell to at
least notify them of my problems, but each time I have called I get
transferred into an endless loop of "Joe" or "Alan" all speaking a
delectable version of English I presume emanates from Bangalore. I
have been outright hung up on each time I get someone who speaks a
reasonable version of English, or sounds like they might be in charge
of something. Promises of call backs have gone, of course, un
returned.

Maybe you can help notify them. Or maybe pass along my new motto for Dell—

"Dude, you're getting a burned down house!"

—dan

RELATED:
Another Dell Laptop Ablaze
House Burns; Dell Laptop Blamed

How To Disable The Potential Fiery Inferno:

Consumers should immediately stop using these dishwashers, disconnect the electric supply by shutting off the fuse or circuit breaker controlling it and inform all users of the dishwasher about the risk of fire. Contact Maytag for either a free in-home repair, or a $75 cash back reimbursement following the purchase of a new Maytag , Jenn-Air , Whirlpool or KitchenAid dishwasher. Consumers should not return the dishwasher to the retailer where it was purchased, as retailers are not prepared to take units back.

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Maytag Corporation at (800) 675-0535 anytime, or visit the firm's Web site at www.repair.maytag.com. According to the AP, you may have a hard time getting through on the phone, as Maytag is experiencing a deluge of calls.—MEGHANN MARCO

Maytag Recalls Dishwashers Due To Fire Hazard [CPSC]

We've had Liberty Mutual for several years. We've had a couple of minor accidents in the past and they've always been great. This, of course, is a major incident. I'm pretty sure the car is totaled, though I won't hear from the insurance adjuster for a couple of days.

So is it necessary to talk to a lawyer now? Or should I assume good faith on the part of Liberty Mutual and threaten a lawyer (and Consumerist!) if I think things sound hinky?

I'm wondering less about Liberty Mutual in particular — though that'd be interesting — and more about the wisdom when to involve lawyers in insurance claims. Any advice would be welcome.

From what we hear, it's probably a good idea to get a lawyer in this case. Insurance companies like to pay the least they can, unless they're forced to do otherwise. — BEN POPKEN

Our Car Burned Up [Seattlest]
Our Passat Caught Fire [Jalopnik]

"When we reinstalled the battery, the phone still booted up," said Vallejo fire department investigator Tweedy. "If the battery had malfunctioned or the phone had short-circuited, it wouldn't have worked anymore. And it did, so we could rule out the phone as an ignition source."

Investigators think matches, a lighter, or a cigarette started the blaze, which was so intense, it consumed them. Matters were made worse by the plastic chair the dude was sitting in.

Let's recap: polyester and nylon suit + cigarette + asleep = fire hazard. Either that, or this was a clearcut case of disco inferno. — BEN POPKEN

Cell phone didn't ignite California man [News.com via Gizmodo]

Previously: Cellphone Ignites In Pocket, Burning Man's Body And Hotel Room

Maybe the world's batteries are staging some kind of protest?

Let's get those fancy new, non-self-immolating batteries on the market, shall we? Although we can't help but wonder if the fire wasn't exacerbated by the man's "nylon and polyester clothes." — BEN POPKEN

Man's cell phone ignites in pocket [MSNBC] (Thanks to Jpac!)

DIY Obsolete iBook Logic Board Repair [Geek Technique via Make]

You know, we realize that sometimes you consumers get upset, and we're on you're side. Unless you set the Walgreens on fire. Then we are not on your side. From WFTV:

One moment, the customer was angry. The next, she was going up and down the isles[sic] lighting merchandise on fire.

Angry Woman Accused Of Setting Walgreens On Fire (with video!) [WFTV Florida](Thanks, Ryan!)

More videos as they keep burning the Elmo, inside. For ultimate effect, play all at the same time.

Where's your eBay now, bitch?

PART 2

The perpetrators are members of Sex Girl Patrol, a self-described New Wave / Psychedelic / Punk band from Bethlehem, PA.

PART 3

Sex Girl Patrol aren't the only ones to light an Elmo on fire and YouTube it. These people drive over one and light in on fire.

UPDATE: Hm, the embedding is being weird. Here's a direct link.

Here's a completely skinned Elmo.

(Thanks to c-side and Chris!)

— BEN POPKEN

Baby no more boom! — BEN POPKEN

Safer laptop batteries produced [BBC]