Take the optimistic view of the choice of demonstration laptops. Maybe they chose a Lenovo because they wanted something that they though would be safe enough to use for a demonstration of blocked ventilation openings.
There is little information available at this time. Mr. Woodgate is correct that fire inspectors can misdiagnose the ignition source. I doubt the P.E.I. fire marshal will be able to determine the exact ignition source from a mass of molten plastic and charred metal. If the batteries ignited, the heat generated would likely destroy the best evidence. The incident was less than a week ago and the investigation is likely not complete. The manufacturer of the laptop will likely want to get involved to determine if aftermarket power supplies or batteries were used. Aftermarket or counterfeit batteries could be an issue here. Aftermarket batteries do not always fit properly. If the connector doesn't match correctly, arcing between the battery and computer could have occurred leading to the ignition of adjacent fabrics. Regards, Ted Eckert Compliance Engineer Microsoft Corporation [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> The opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer. From: IBM Ken [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, March 12, 2013 12:13 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: laptop -> house fire "P.E.I. deputy fire marshal Robert Arsenault demonstrates how vents on a laptop computer can be blocked when it is sitting on a pile of clothes. (CBC)" Why did he pick that brand of laptop to demonstrate with? XD Does anyone have more information on this incident? On Tue, Mar 12, 2013 at 2:49 PM, Brian Oconnell <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Blocked vent test anyone? Forseeable misuse? I like my computers well done. <www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2013/03/06/pei-laptop-hou se-fire-computer-584.html<http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2013/03/06/pei-laptop-house-fire-computer-584.html>> - ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Mike Cantwell <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher: <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> David Heald: <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> - ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Mike Cantwell <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> David Heald <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> - ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to <[email protected]> All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas <[email protected]> Mike Cantwell <[email protected]> For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher: <[email protected]> David Heald: <[email protected]>
