Dell laptop blew up the truck
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Dell laptop blew up the truck
Flames engulf ancient Ford
By Paul Hales: Tuesday 08 August 2006, 12:49
THOMAS FORQUERAN thought he was looking after his laptop by placing it on the floor of his truck while he and his chum loaded up their tackle after a two-day fishing trip.
But, moments later, his grandpa's 1966 Ford burst into flames in a blaze that set off boxes of ammunition and had Forqueran and his mate, Rod Riddle, running for their lives.
"Flames were shooting about three feet out the window," the 62-year-old told ConsumerAffairs.Com. "The flames were rushing at me and the three boxes of bullets in the glove compartment. It was extremely accelerated. It was like someone was firing napalm."
The Dell Inspiron has emerged as the "primary suspect" in an investigation into the cause of the blaze that brought the two-day fishing trip at Lake Mead National Forest in Nevada, on July 13, 2006 to an explosive end.
Riddle said he heard a "popping sound" before smoke started billowing from the cab. "I could tell by the look of the fire from where I was that there was no way we were going to put out the fire," wrote Riddle in his evidence.
After dodging bullets for a number of minutes, the fishermen took cover as the flames headed for the petrol tank.
"I can never replace Grandpa's truck," said Forqueran. "Grandpa bought it new and kept it that way. There were a lot of family memories in that truck.
"We always used to say that Grandpa would be turning in his grave if the truck ever got dirty."
National Forest Ranger Brandon Marsmaker was brought to the scene by the plume of smoke.
In his report, the ranger wrote: "When I examined the vehicle I noted the remnants of shell casings.
"I also noted what appeared to be the remains of a laptop computer.
"The flame pattern indicates that it started on the passenger side of the vehicle and primarily worked its way back to the bed of the truck. Â… All items inside the vehicle were destroyed by the fire."
There seems to be no doubt in Forqueran's mind that his Dell Inspiron 1300/B130 set his truck ablaze.
"I want people to know what happened to me," he said. "These laptops are dangerous and people need to know." µ -
"Exploding" Dell Laptop Destroys Truck, Imperils Outsdoorsmen
By Joseph S. Enoch
ConsumerAffairs.Com
Copyright © 2006 All Rights Reserved ConsumerAffairs.Com Inc.
August 3, 2006
There've been scattered reports of Dell Computer Co. laptops bursting into flames without warning, though there's been little urgency attached to the reports. But in a potentially catastrophic case documented by independent witnesses, a Dell laptop is the primary suspect in a blaze that ignited several boxes of ammunition, sent two tough outdoorsmen running for their lives and left a vintage Ford truck burned to the ground.
It all started as Thomas Forqueran and a friend, Rod Riddle, were packing up after a two-day fishing trip at Lake Mead National Forest in Nevada, on July 13, 2006.
Thomas Forqueran's vintage Ford truck post-fire
Forqueran and "Jenny" in happier times
Forqueran put his Dell Inspiron laptop on the floor of the passenger side of his truck as the two men started packing. Riddle heard a popping noise coming from the cab while loading equipment but was not alarmed until Forqueran smelled smoke.
"Flames were shooting about three feet out the window," the 62-year-old Forqueran said. "I ran to the driver's side door and the flames were rushing at me and the three boxes of bullets in the glove compartment. It was extremely accelerated. It was like someone was firing napalm."
Forqueran screamed to Riddle for water, hoping to save "Jenny," his 1966 Ford F-250.
"I could tell by the look of the fire from where I was that there was no way we were going to put out the fire," wrote Riddle in his hand-scrawled witness testimonial.
Both men ran for cover as bullets zinged past and the rapidly spreading flames in the cab of the antique truck reached the gas tank. Everything in the truck was destroyed in the subsequent fuel explosion.
"Flames were shooting 12 feet into the air above the truck for about 10 minutes," Forqueran said. "There was a very large pillar of black smoke in the sky."
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For ALL the past cases on laptops explosions please see this link
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/08/dell_fire.html -
wah lan eh. i now very scared to use my dell laptop leh.
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dunno why nowadays there is so many reports on laptops in flames, mostly apple and dell....
it cant be the chip and motherboard cuz its from the OEMs like Gigabyte, intel, etc...and these when mounted on other laptops seems to be working ok...
hmm...maybe laptop fans, heatpipes design together with casing and batteries (dunno from some third party china or cambodia or what) not good enough therefore cause all the overheating...
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Battery....very dangerous
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time for solar panels
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Mostly due to the battery. Also, as laptop manufacturers try to make their laptops more compact and slimmer, they are also reducing the ventilation space within the laptops and this increases the chances of overheating
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i noticed people close their laptops without shutting them off.
extra fire hazard? -
This doesn't have much effect, unless you are running heavy applications with the fans running at high speed. The keyboard and palm-rests can offer areas for heat to channel away too.Originally posted by SingaporeMacross:i noticed people close their laptops without shutting them off.
extra fire hazard?
Another factor I remembered. Placing laptops on soft surfaces like the bed or carpet can also cause overheating. Personally experienced that before. -
Some laptops when you close the lids, it will change to standby mode. In standby mode, it will not be using much resources, so it would be cool enough.Originally posted by SingaporeMacross:i noticed people close their laptops without shutting them off.
extra fire hazard?
I myself put the laptop on standby if I'm not using it, to keep it cool. -
nowadays.. seems like laptop can be used for terrorism purposes
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Haha!! Now that's funny. =pOriginally posted by StarPuppy:nowadays.. seems like laptop can be used for terrorism purposes -
Acer laptops are made in China, no reports of them bursting into flames so far.Originally posted by nightzip:dunno why nowadays there is so many reports on laptops in flames, mostly apple and dell....
it cant be the chip and motherboard cuz its from the OEMs like Gigabyte, intel, etc...and these when mounted on other laptops seems to be working ok...
hmm...maybe laptop fans, heatpipes design together with casing and batteries (dunno from some third party china or cambodia or what) not good enough therefore cause all the overheating...
Asus is made in Taiwan, no news either.
So it's not the quality of those hardwares, rather, it's the way manufacturers built them. Most manufacturers would put the battery far from the ventilation and video cards, but some built it directly under them. If I'm not wrong, Toshiba is one of them, and they are very hot after using for a while.
They are also getting slimmer, which could be one reason why some go up in flames. Wonder if any Samsung laptops users here can clarify it. -
die la!
i'm using the Dell Inspiron 1300 now!!! -
LOL! Shiet...
Lucky i using Sony.. no sony exploding cases right ?! i am paranoid about things exploding. Like LG Cd-Roms. Monitors.... -
Shucks... my Acer lappy has its battery right NEXT to the ventilation fan.Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:Acer laptops are made in China, no reports of them bursting into flames so far.
Asus is made in Taiwan, no news either.
So it's not the quality of those hardwares, rather, it's the way manufacturers built them. Most manufacturers would put the battery far from the ventilation and video cards, but some built it directly under them. If I'm not wrong, Toshiba is one of them, and they are very hot after using for a while.
They are also getting slimmer, which could be one reason why some go up in flames. Wonder if any Samsung laptops users here can clarify it. -
which lappie battery not nxt to the fan one?!
most impt thing is how well they dissipate the heat -
Mine!Originally posted by abao:which lappie battery not nxt to the fan one?!
most impt thing is how well they dissipate the heat -
Wadever it is, don't use your laptop on your LAP. LOL
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precaution
https://www.dellbatteryprogram.com/Default.aspx
1st post after 18 mths. haha