Latest news with #spontaneouscombustion
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Terrifying moment mother's HP laptop suddenly catches fire in her home after making strange hissing sound
A mother has captured the terrifying moment her HP laptop caught on fire in her own home after making a strange hissing sound. Claire Irvine, 46, was relaxing in the living room with her daughters when she heard the noise coming from the kitchen. Ms Irvine walked in to find thick smoke pouring out of her HP laptop, which had been left plugged in and open on the table after a day of use. The mother quickly unplugged the machine and rushed it outside, but parts of the machine had already melted the tablecloth and scorched the table beneath it. Although HP provided her with a replacement laptop, she says that since trying to claim expenses for damage to her furniture and urgent data recovery work, the computer brand has ignored her. Ms Irvine, a paramedic from Hertford, Hertfordshire, said: 'It was so scary. You don't expect something to just catch fire like that. 'I'm a paramedic so I'm used to dealing with emergencies, but seeing smoke coming off my kitchen table with the kids there was a real shock. 'I unplugged it and carried it straight outside. Luckily it cooled down on its own.' She later took the damaged laptop to a local technician, who determined that one of its three internal batteries had exploded. He was able to recover her data, including her university dissertation, but the process cost her nearly £300. Ms Irvine said: 'The local technician said there was no external cause. It just spontaneously burst. I hadn't done anything to the laptop to cause it. 'Luckily, he managed to recover my degree work, which was all on there.' HP issued the family with a replacement laptop a month later. But Ms Irvine claims the company has since gone silent after she submitted a £300 claim to cover data recovery and furniture repairs. She said: 'They were great to start with, really engaged and surprised by what happened. 'But as soon as they got the laptop back, it's like they shut down completely. Now they're just ignoring me and it's upsetting. 'I work for the NHS. I don't have money to waste. Being fobbed off like this isn't right.' It's not the first time that a HP laptop has caused damage. In 2017, an exploding laptop caused hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage to an X-ray lab at an NHS hospital. The Trust overseeing Ealing Hospital took HP to court over the incident, seeking almost £700,000 in compensation. The incident caused damage to equipment that was beyond repair, including a £410,000 endoscopic X-ray machine. And HP also recalled several models of laptop in 2018 and 2019 due to batteries' tendency to overheat.
The Sun
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Watch the moment mum's £3 B&M mug EXPLODES two days after she bought it – as she says it ‘could've blown up in my face'
A MOTHER has been left gobsmacked after a B&M mug s pontaneously exploded and sounded 'like a bomb', just two days after she purchased it. Rebecca Drake, 33, caught footage of a glass mug exploding with no one near it and claims it could have blown up in her face. 7 7 7 The mum-of-one picked up two glass mugs and glass tumblers from the bargain chain on May 6th and used the cup for the first time just two days later on May 8th. She took a sip of her cold matcha latte, before putting the £3 mug down and popping into the garden. But when she returned, she found it shattered and the contents splattered across her table. Pointing the finger of blame at one of her two Sproodle dogs, the cake business owner looked at her dog camera footage and was stunned to see it had spontaneously exploded, sounding 'like a bomb'. After sharing the now-viral clip on Facebook, social media users were whipped up in a paranormal frenzy, urging her to flee the property and suggesting she contact famous psychic Derek Acorah. While the mother admits the explosion was 'spooky', she believes a chip in the glass was a more likely cause - and simply wants a refund from B&M. Rebecca, from Mirfield, West Yorkshire, said: "At first I thought maybe it could be a ghost, it was spooky. "I had one of the radio stations on and they were literally talking about poltergeists as I was cleaning it up. "But nothing has ever happened in my house before which has made me think that it's haunted. "I thought I'd check the dog camera to see if one of them jumped up and knocked it. I tried a viral hack promising to save hundreds on my B&M trolley but it was a total con - I scoured for 2 HOURS & only saved a tenner "I checked the camera and the sound was as if a bomb had gone off, I just couldn't believe it. It took my breath away how it did it on its own and how loud it was. "There were bits of tiny, tiny glass everywhere, it was all in the dogs ' fur and there were big chunks of it all on the table. "I was only outside for four minutes, I was drinking out of it three minutes before it exploded.' Not only this, but the shocked woman then added: "It could have literally exploded in my face or in my hands. 7 7 7 'I've got a daughter who's 11 and if she'd had it in her bedroom it could have really hurt her. "It's really scary to think what could have happened if myself or my daughter were holding the mug. "If there was hot liquid inside it could have scalded anyone. It's really dangerous. "I've wrapped up the other ones I bought and I'm going to take them back - I don't want them in my cupboard and I don't want them in my house." Stunned Rebecca, who bought the mugs from the Dewsbury branch of B&M in West Y orkshire, is unsure of the cause but believes damage in transit may have weakened the glass. Rebecca explained: "One thing that did confuse me a bit was that they wouldn't let me wrap them up when I bought them. "I asked if I could get some packaging so that they didn't get any chips in them but they said that they don't keep packaging and they just chuck it all. "If they're getting damaged then anything could happen. "Even if it gets the tiniest little chip that can cause the glass to have a weak point. I'm going to take the other mugs back. I don't trust them anymore." Footage shows the mug on the table as Rebecca's dogs, Suki and Cooper, watch her through the patio doors before a loud smash can be heard. The mug can be seen exploding as the contents of the matcha latte spills out across the kitchen table - with no one near it. Social media users react How to save money at B&M Shoppers have saved hundreds of pounds a year by using B&M's scanner app. The scanner lets you see if an item's price is cheaper than advertised on the shop floor label. Products that are typically discounted are seasonal items and old stock that B&M is trying to shift. The app is free to download off the B&M Stores mobile app via Google Play or the Apple App Store. According to one ex-B&M manager, you'll want to visit your local branch at 10am on a Wednesday too. Here's how you can join the B&M bargain hunt: Download the B&M app for free on any smartphone with an App Store or Google Play. Once you've installed it on your device, click on the option labelled "more" on the bottom, right-hand side of the app home page. You'll then find an option that says "barcode scanner". Click on this and you'll open a camera screen. Use the camera to hover over the barcode of the product you wish to check. If the price comes up as lower, take it to the cash desk and it will automatically scan at the lower price. You don't need to sign up to the B&M app to use the barcode scanner. Viewers shared their theories as to what caused the mug to shatter, with many suggesting it was most likely a manufacturing issue. One wrote: "Probably a fault in the glass or cold drink not helping." Whilst a second chimed in: "It's material fatigue. If it's tempered glass, then it doesn't tolerate scratches, micro-cracks etc well. "Or could be a fault while tempering glass too, uneven tension distribution, if it's manufacturing fault, there would be at least one piece that's much different from the rest.' However, at the same time, others looked to paranormal reasons. One simply wrote: "Poltergeist', whilst another commented: "I reckon you need to get Derek Acorah involved." And alongside a ghost emoji, someone else claimed: "I'd move house.' A B&M spokesperson has since said: "Product safety is our highest priority. 'This glass mug has undergone rigorous thermal shock testing by an independent laboratory, with all samples passing the required safety standards. "We are in direct contact with the customer and are actively investigating the issue."
