We’re feeling philosophical this morning after being confronted with two very different accounts of what went on at a small house on Pine Grove Street in Needham, Mass. Was there a fire? Was there not a fire? What is the definition of fire, anyway?
fires
Recalls: Faulty Ventilator Motor May Burn Your House Down
By 3.31.07
Venmar is recalling 75,000 heat recovery ventilators manufactured between 1991 and 2001. The ventilators, designed to bring fresh air into a home, contain a motor that can overheat and catch fire. Four motors have already caught fire, with one in Michigan causing $1 million in damage.
Smokey Bear Says 5-Light Multi-colored Floor Lamps Cause Campus Fires
By 2.22.07
SUNY Fredonia warns a cheap decorative lamp is setting dorm rooms on fire. Pretty, inexpensive lamps like these can often be found in college dorms and studio apartments.
In two separate student rooms, the plastic shades melted on the lamps. In one room, this caused the build-up of toxic fumes and the melted plastic from the shade burned a hole in the bedspread. The second instance involved another student who had turned on the lamp and, within 15 minutes, the shade melted and the heat began to turn a poster on the wall brown.
Underwriters Laboratories, the group that certifies that things won’t burn down dorms and studio apartments, believes the lamp in question is different from the one they approved. They are withholding their seal from new lamps, effectively shutting down production.
Sony Sorta Sorry For Flaming Batteries
By 10.24.06
“We are sorry for the offense caused by the battery recall…”
No, Dell Ain’t Charging For Replacement Batteries
By 10.18.06
Contrary to the vituperations of Lowell G, Dell is not charging people for swapping out their exploding batteries.
6,000 Panasonic Laptops Recalled
By 9.6.06
Out of concern that the batteries might combust, Panasonic announced a recall of Japanese models of CF-W4G Let’s Note W4 laptop sold between April and May 2005.
