Kitchen appliances make our lives more convenient and our meals more delicious, but they’re also dangerous. Dangerous? Ordinary appliances start tens of thousands of fires in United States homes every year. Our colleagues down the hall at ShopSmart rounded up some common causes of appliance fires and warned us all. [More]
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Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Catches Fire, Toilets Continue To Work
By 5.28.13
If you had been considering a cruise vacation because nothing has gone terribly wrong on any major ships in at least a couple of weeks, maybe you should reconsider. Passengers on their third day of a Royal Caribbean cruise were dragged out of bed in the wee hours of the morning and told to put their life vests on because of a fire on board. [More]
Before House Fire Flames Are Out, Contractors And Adjusters Drum Up Business
By 5.20.13
When a house catches fire, there can be more than one type of first responder. There are the life-saving fire department and emergency medical services…and then there are the businesspeople selling repair and cleanup services, who sometimes arrive at the scene at the same time as the official first responders. Instead of hoses, axes, and ladders, these crews carry clipboards, contracts, and business cards. [More]
House Fire Teaches Couple Not To Put Shiny Metal Dog Bowls In The Sun
By 5.2.13
Before you go running out of your house to purchase an all new set of plastic pet bowls, let’s be realistic here — it’s probably not likely that your dog’s metal dish will catch the sunlight in just such a way as to spark a house fire, but anything is possible. One couple in California found out that the hot, fiery way. [More]
Does The Lint Lizard Actually Work? Surprisingly, Yes
By 3.22.13
Infomercial products usually claim to solve a problem that you didn’t know you had. This is usually the stuff of jokes, but what if the products actually improved our lives and made us and our homes more safe? Such a thing is possible in the case of the Lint Lizard, a $11 gadget that promises to attach to your vacuum and suck gobs of lint out of the crevices of your dryer. [More]
Um, Why Did My Frigidaire Microwave Randomly Catch Fire?
By 7.24.10
Though not advertised as a feature, Matt recently learned that if you turn off a Frigidaire microwave and leave the house, it might spontaneously combust. A service tech blamed a short-circuiting switch for the blaze, which thankfully didn’t cause any serious property damage. [More]
54,000 More HP Batteries Recalled
By 5.24.10
Hewlett-Packard doesn’t just make props for cringeworthy feature length commercials; the company also sells batteries that sometimes catch fire. A year ago HP recalled about 70,000 bad batteries, and now it’s added another 54,000 to the list. [More]
Comcast Would Like You To Return The Cable Boxes Destroyed When Your Home Burned Down
By 5.13.10
Working hard to maintain their Worst Company in America trophy, a Comcast rep demanded that a couple whose home was destroyed in an apartment fire return their cable boxes, or pay $1,300. Oh, and they lose their promotional rate because they had the audacity to suspend their service. Because they are living in a hotel. After their home was destroyed. [More]
Gas Fire Columns Recalled For Being Too Aptly Named
By 4.5.10
Some outdoor gas fire columns sold through Costco in the past 6-7 months have been recalled, because “gas can leak from connections in the column, posing a fire hazard.” I guess that’s why the photo shows it next to a serene koi pond–it’s so you can grab a rake and push it into the water if it gets too fire column-y. [More]
Man Dies In Freak Gas Pump Fire Caused By Static Electricity
By 3.10.10
A Pennsylvania man died last Friday in a freak fire at a gas station. Authorities say that the fire was sparked by static electricity on the man’s body, and he died of inhalation of superheated gases. While this type of fire is very rare and fatalities even rarer, they do happen. To prevent them, you should do something terribly mundane: do not ever get back in your car while fueling, and make sure to touch a metal surface before fueling. [More]
Watch Out For Fire Hazardy Knock-Off Christmas Lights
By 12.23.09
CBS’s The Early Show aired a segment last Friday about counterfeit holiday lights and extension cords, mostly from China and mostly available at dollar stores, that can cause fires. The problem is that the manufacturers use shoddy materials, and sometimes even fake UL stickers, to give the impression that they’re following safety guidelines. You find out they’re not when your tree goes up in flames. [More]
Blair Recalls More Flammable Clothing After Yet Another Fire
By 10.23.09
“Consumers Urged to Stop Use of Flammable Wearing Apparel,” says the warning on the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site. You would think so, wouldn’t you? But Blair, the catalog where your grandmother probably gets all of her clothes, has expanded their recall of chenille sleepwear after nine deaths and another reported chenille fire.
Comcast Takes Setting Your House On Fire "Very Seriously"
By 6.16.09
If a Comcast subcontractor accidentally drills into your electrical box and sets fire to your home — rest assured that the company will take it seriously. One Pennsylvania homeowner is feeling the seriousness right now. It all started when she asked Comcast to install a cable outlet in her kitchen, and it ended with smoke and flames and $20,000 in damage.
Arizona May Legalize Fireworks, Putting Fools Throughout The State In Grave Danger
By 3.20.09
Consumer-grade fireworks are currently illegal in Arizona, but the sate government is considering passing a bill that would give the fire marshal the power to regulate the sale of them. This has caused an outcry from anti-fireworks types who say that even the less powerful consumer-grade products are too dangerous. Unfortunately, one of the most publicized opponents is a guy who was severely burned in 2004 because he was launching mortar-style fireworks from his moving car, and one blew back in through the window and set his stash on fire.
Best Buy In Illinois Catches Fire, Then Floods
By 3.4.08
A fire broke out in a Best Buy in Quincy, Illinois, over the weekend, and although the sprinkler system put it out promptly, it flooded the entire store in an inch and a half of water. The store manager told the local news station that it would take a few days to clean up and restock inventory—but we prefer to imagine that there’s going to be an awful lot of CompUSA-style “AS IS” deals in the Quincy Best Buy very soon.
No More Loose Non-Rechargable Lithium Batteries In Checked Luggage
By 12.29.07
The TSA has announced a ban on loose non-rechargeable lithium batteries in checked luggage, because they’ve realized that “fire-protection systems in the cargo hold of passenger planes can’t put out fires sparked in lithium batteries.”
iPod Lights Your Pants On Fire, Not In A Good Way
By 10.5.07
“So I look down and I see flames coming up to my chest,” said Danny Williams. His iPod Nano, and subsequently, his pants, were on fire.
