Laptop Spontaneously Ignites On Mattress

January 20, 2008

Whenever I use my MacBook on my lap, it always feels as though it is burning my legs since it gets so incredibly hot. So maybe an iPod can burn through a man's pants, but did you know that a laptop caught on fire while on a bed? According to Engadget, a man's IBM ThinkPad R50e burned right through his mattress shortly after he went to bed. Luckily he hadn't fallen asleep yet and was able to put the fire out. And get this, the laptop's screen may have went up in flames, but he's still able to use the laptop by connecting it to an external screen. . . Scary but true!

Source

News Laptop

44 Comments

enSue 5 years 15 weeks

That's a scary and possible situation if you're not careful. I've been considering getting Snapball laptop stand plugs, which can be easily removed. You can find them here: http://www.pwx.cc/

meeshee 5 years 17 weeks

SO SCARY!!!!

meeshee 5 years 17 weeks

SO SCARY!!!!

dd sugar 5 years 17 weeks

I use my very old IBM Thinkpad on my bed, supported by a "lap desk" I've had forever-$10, plus elevated a bit under the lid of a sturdy rectangular tupperware lid (don't laugh-works really well and no cost. I don't even have a chair in my tiny apartment, so it's the bed or couch if I want to sit. An adjustable tray table-$15, works for the living room and I use it for other things, plus the bottom slides under the couch. Someday I will buy a new notebook. Conserve electricity and unplug it when you're done too.

Cris1192 5 years 17 weeks

Sometimes I use my laptop on my bed and it gets really warm... Poor guy, but still he should of been more careful..

precious_pets4 5 years 17 weeks

COOL NEW FIND! While at Target about a week ago, I came across a laptop "lap pad" it's an angled rectangular shape with a horizontal cut out through the middle. The angle keeps the laptop level while you slouch in a chair. the cut out is designed to pass the cord through, so it's not dangling by your feet if the electrical outlet is on the "wrong" side of the chair. The entire gizmo is made out of breathable material to keep the air flowing through the back of the laptop (the cut out also helps with this) so the laptop won't overheat. Plus, your legs no longer get burned!! My daughter loves it and now that I know the overheating of a laptop caused a fire, I VERY GLAD I purchased this. (plus, it has some cool color choices! The one I picked up has a brown exterior, with baby blue in the cut out... very pretty!)

Le Etiana 5 years 17 weeks

I use my laptop all the time on my lap, if I wanted to sit at a desk or table I'd use my desktop computer. However, I always make sure that the fan is never covered up by my lap or a pillow. I also use it in bed, the same way but I never leave it on, ever, during the night. It only makes sense that if you cover the whole bottom of it, it will overheat. I figured there were a fair amount of incidents like this and that's why they changed the name from laptop to notebook.

Le Etiana 5 years 17 weeks

bunnystack 5 years 17 weeks

You know, it's not a LAPTOP, it's a notebook.In the manuals for most notebooks, it specifically tells you that you aren't supposed to use/leave your machine on fabric or your lap or any kind of a soft surface, because it will overheat and burn.I'm not surprised.He left it on his bed, and the sheets were probably covering up the area where the fans are, and it overheated. Plain and simple.What an idiot.

bunnystack 5 years 17 weeks

You know, it's not a LAPTOP, it's a notebook. In the manuals for most notebooks, it specifically tells you that you aren't supposed to use/leave your machine on fabric or your lap or any kind of a soft surface, because it will overheat and burn. I'm not surprised. He left it on his bed, and the sheets were probably covering up the area where the fans are, and it overheated. Plain and simple. What an idiot.

caligirl101 5 years 17 weeks

I'm always telling my daughter to keep my ibook off the bed, and for good reason. scary!

clarient 5 years 17 weeks

I can't believe people put their laptops on their bed!!!Your laptop needs room to BREATHE. If you block the fan, you can't get rid of heat. And when you put it on a porous surface like a bed, the area right around the fan gets hotter and hotter as it absorbs the heat from the computer. Thus - bursting into flames!!Be smart people!

clarient 5 years 17 weeks

I can't believe people put their laptops on their bed!!! Your laptop needs room to BREATHE. If you block the fan, you can't get rid of heat. And when you put it on a porous surface like a bed, the area right around the fan gets hotter and hotter as it absorbs the heat from the computer. Thus - bursting into flames!! Be smart people!

Lovely_1 5 years 17 weeks

That's crazy!But I am not suprised...sometimes those things can really get hot if you don't have them on a desk.

Lovely_1 5 years 17 weeks

That's crazy! But I am not suprised...sometimes those things can really get hot if you don't have them on a desk.

vavavoom 5 years 17 weeks

I Believe It!Mine get's so so so so hot. sometimes when it's on my lap it makes me so hot that I sweat!!!!I'm shutting mine down at night from now on.

vavavoom 5 years 17 weeks

I Believe It! Mine get's so so so so hot. sometimes when it's on my lap it makes me so hot that I sweat!!!! I'm shutting mine down at night from now on.