So we have heard of how smartphones have caught on fire, and we guess the fact that laptops also use lithium-ion means that laptops are just as susceptible, although they haven’t really made that much headlines at least until recently. According to the reports, a 72-year old woman from Pennsylvania by the name of Loretta Luff claims to have been injured when her laptop suddenly blew up.
Luff claims that she was checking her emails and playing a game of Spider Solitaire on her Dell Inspiron laptop when it simply exploded, with the battery pack flying across the room. Her shirt then caught on fire and in the process of taking it off, singed her hair as well. Luff suffered from burns to her foot, arm, and face, but claims her foot got it worse, possibly because she had stepped onto the battery when it landed.
According to the preliminary examination by firefighters, they have suggested that the battery of her laptop might have been the culprit of the explosion. While Dell has issued a statement claiming that they will be investigating the matter, they seem to suggest that perhaps using an incompatible or unauthorized battery could have been the cause of the explosion in the first place.
“Dell will take appropriate steps to investigate this incident. It’s also important to note that, in our product documentation, Dell tells customers that “using an incompatible battery or a third-party battery may increase the risk of fire or explosion and that they should replace the battery only with a battery purchased from Dell that is designed to work with their Dell computer.” Luff claims that she had replaced the battery but wasn’t sure if it was an approved one.
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