Laptop caught fire in the middle of the night while charging

Apr 2, 2018 09:37 GMT  ·  By

An HP laptop caught fire in the middle of the night while charging, destroying the office inside a tarpaulin and netting specialist store in Letchworth, UK.

The entire incident was caught on camera by the store’s surveillance system, and the owner says that he never had any issues with the charger. The cause of the fire, however, is not yet known at this point.

In an interview with The Comet, Steve Paffett says he received an alarm from the store’s security system, so he wanted to see what was happening on the CCTV cameras.

“To my horror I was watching a bonfire on my office desk. I thought ‘what am I going to do?’ It was awful. I got up, trying not to panic, got dressed, grabbed my wallet, keys and phone and left for work,” he says.

Recalled battery?

Paffett says the laptop model was an HP Envy, which is the same one targeted by an HP battery recall last year after the company found issues possibly causing overheating and posing a fire and burn hazard.

The store owner received “a small insurance payment,” according to his own statements, but the fire ruined the ground floor.

“Just never ever leave a laptop or phone on charge overnight, as this is the result,” Steve said. “I don’t think anywhere near enough of us are aware of the potential ‘bombs’ we have indoors. I was sat at that seat earlier that day and I swear it would have taken my face off or killed me.”

HP hasn’t issued a statement on this incident, though more information from the company would come in handy, especially because this particular model was mentioned in the battery recall started last year.

For more information on the recall, you can check the link above, and if your laptop shows any signs of overheating, you’re recommended to contact the company as soon as possible.