Laptop catches fire, but don’t blame the battery just yet

March 18, 2008

A laptop is being blamed for a fire in a student apartment house near Cal Poly SLO, and the battery may be the culprit. But there are extenuating – and very common – circumstances: Before fingering the lithium ion chemistry as being faulty, consider that the laptop apparently was sitting on a blanket on an upholstered loveseat, making it a good chance that the air vents were blocked.

Especially for battery-powered consumer electronics designs, this is a good reminder that available ambient air can vary greatly, from what’s available to a laptop sitting on a glass-topped office desk, to, perhaps swaddled in a blanket tucked between the cushions on a couch.

Posted by Margery Conner on March 18, 2008 | Comments (6)

March 20, 2008

In response to: Laptop catches fire, but don’t blame the battery just yet
Bob L. commented:

Talked to my kid about this before she went back to school for the semester. Her one year old ACER needed the speakers and the combo heatsink/cooling fan replaced. Scary that the cooling fan would fail only after a year of operation. She too would us it on the bed, coach or what have you, blocking the vents. One thing that bothers me and may lead to premature failure is IPOD using the laptop as a primary charging station. Not cool!!! Also, with AIM and etc. these kids are leaving these laptops on 24/7. IMO they really aren't designed to be used like comercial machines. Maybe the should be though. JMO

March 20, 2008

In response to: Laptop catches fire, but don’t blame the battery just yet
Steven W. commented:

Not "change" but "chance"

March 20, 2008

In response to: Laptop catches fire, but don’t blame the battery just yet
Steven W. commented:

" . . . making it a good change . . ." means " . . . making it likely . . ." Awkward, but understandable.

March 20, 2008

In response to: Laptop catches fire, but don’t blame the battery just yet
David Z. commented:

"... making it a good chance ..." What brand of English is that?

March 19, 2008

In response to: Laptop catches fire, but don’t blame the battery just yet
Margery Conner commented:

All excellent points. The SLO fire department is investigating the laptop''s failure mode but hasn''t released any further information yet - not even the laptop brand. It will be interesting to see what their findings are.

March 18, 2008

In response to: Laptop catches fire, but don’t blame the battery just yet
Steve commented:

The laptop should shut down before reaching such a critical temperature that a fire could start.

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