Computer explodes burning teenager

iAfrica.com ^ | Fri, 17 Jan 2003 | Staff

[Glenn]

The teenage daughter of a top foreign affairs department official was being treated in a Pretoria hospital for second degree burns suffered when her laptop computer's battery pack exploded.

Fifteen-year-old Nikita Sooklal is the youngest child of the department's deputy director-general responsible for the Middle East and Asia, Dr Anil Sooklal.

Sooklal told Sapa that his wife and daughter were at their Pretoria East home on Tuesday around 3.20pm while he was at the office.

"My daughter had switched on the laptop and was looking for a website about Macbeth, her school set-work, and my wife was upstairs.

"Suddenly there was a very loud bang and my daughter began screaming. My wife rushed downstairs and found Nikita's shirt was on fire.

"She immediately took her upstairs and stood her under a cold shower as her skin was already blistering. When my wife went back downstairs she found the sofa was alight and the flames were spreading and leaping as high as the ceiling," Sooklal said.

"It would appear the battery pack had exploded and disintegrated and set fire to the room."

The computer, a Dell 'Inspiron' issued to Dr Sooklal by the foreign affairs department some 18 months ago has been removed for forensic testing by a specially appointed police task team and the results are expected before the weekend.

Sapa

[Glenn]

You get what you pay for.

[inkling]

Maybe it was a Hamas suicide computer. Now it resides in paradise with 72 iPods.

[Abram]

I wondered if my computer would do that. I have a very old monitor...and my computer makes some funny sounds occasionally. I have worried about that before. Interesting story.

[FreedomPoster]

lol!

[Joe Bonforte]

It's likely that the battery was a clone instead of the original Dell battery. Clone battery manufacturers are notorious for not including the safety measures that keep batteries from doing stuff like this.

[Poser]

I'm writing this on a Dell Inspiron that is about 18 months old and... it's sitting on my lap. Fortunately, I have a plastic plate from Cyberguys under it. The battery will have to melt through an extra layer of lexan before it gets me.

[sam_paine]

You get what you pay for.

NiMH, or any rechargeable batteries are a dangerous toxic fire hazard, no matter whose system they fail in.

I was involved in some of the early 90's power management development of chips that went into both Dell and Compaq machines, and at the time, Microsoft was proposing that the operating system would entirely manage the charging of the battery. They insisted, so Dell and CPQ both acquiesced, sort of. They built a microcontroller method that the OS had to "ASK" to charge the battery, etc. That way, Dell and CPQ still had control over that critical action, even if (when) the OS hangs! Extra costs brought to you by Bill!!!

[freedumb2003]

[gitmo]

I'm writing this on a Dell Inspiron that is about 18 months old and... it's sitting on my lap. Fortunately, I have a plastic plate from Cyberguys under it. The battery will have to melt through an extra layer of lexan before it gets me.

Are you crazy! That would REALLY hurt! Of course, they are LAPtops, aren't they?

[MaryFromMichigan]

Maybe it was a Hamas suicide computer. Now it resides in paradise with 72 iPods.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I wondered if my computer would do that.

Has he shown a sudden interest in the Koran? Did your screen saver mysteriously become a romanticized portrait of Osama bin Laden? Be afraid.

[Glenn]

I'm writing this on a Dell Inspiron that is about 18 months old and... it's sitting on my lap.

Brave, you are. I don't dare put my company issued, 2.5 year old Dell Lassitude anywhere near anything I value.

[TommyDale]

Probably a junior hacker trying to overclock.

[Poser]

"Are you crazy! That would REALLY hurt! Of course, they are LAPtops, aren't they?"

I'm effing brave!

Technically, I think they are notebooks. Laptops were *much* bigger and really weren't very practical on the lap. The notebooks are perfect. I have a wireless cable modem and a Barco-lounger. Add 3 remote controls for the TV, satellite dish and stereo, an LL Bean Thermos full of coffee and you only have to move every 3 hours or so.

[Dead Corpse]

"People just explode sometimes. Natural causes." -Repo Man

[Riley]

It's likely that the battery was a clone instead of the original Dell battery. Clone battery manufacturers are notorious for not including the safety measures that keep batteries from doing stuff like this.

Exactly right. I'll bet you that's precisely what happened.

[pabianice]

Computer explodes burning teenager

OK. First, why was the teenager burning? How did the computer make her explode? And why was a burning teenager online?

[Lady Jag]

Keep your flame suit on; it happens all the time at FR.