We have often heard of incidents in which a phone caught fire and burst into flames. However, a user recently reported a similar incident with a MacBook Pro. The person said his MacBook Pro exploded after catching fire.
How the MacBook Pro exploded
The MacBook Pro belongs to a DJ by the name of White Panda, who says he was using the device normally before it exploded.
“Yesterday afternoon my MacBook Pro exploded during normal use. It was on my lap, plugged in, and suddenly started to spew smoke out both sides. I quickly placed it on the floor where it popped, the smoke increased, and it caught fire,” the DJ said in a Reddit post.
Further, he said the fire incident filled his house with “toxic smelling smoke” and even triggered “CO alarms.” There was no injury reported, but “there was some damage to my home.” Apparently, White Panda exited his home after the MacBook Pro exploded. Later he removed the device “to the porch using gloves (it was scalding hot).”
My MacBook Pro exploded today during normal use. No injuries, luckily. Some damage to the house. Could have been worse – good thing I wasn’t on a plane.
Very curious to see how @Apple responds.@MacRumors @TechCrunch @9to5mac pic.twitter.com/pjmpv5Mx9b
— White Panda (@whitepanda) May 29, 2019
The MacBook Pro that exploded was a 15-inch model from 2015. White Panda confirms that although he did take it in for repairs a couple times, he always took it to Apple rather than a third-party repair company. Apple recently replaced the MacBook’s trackpad and display. Moreover, he says his MacBook Pro never had any battery-related issues.
Before the MacBook Pro exploded, the device was charging using the official Apple power adapter. According to the DJ, Apple has been made aware of the incident. He said that an hour after his MacBook Pro exploded, he took it to a local Apple Store. A staff member then placed the MacBook in a fire-proof safe and told the DJ that they would contact him soon.
After there was no response from the Apple Store, the DJ said he called back. He was told that the matter had been “escalated” to Apple and that he would hear from the company within five days.
“I produce music for a living – FIVE days without my computer is unacceptable. It seemed like a worthwhile piece of information to share with the world, so there you have it,” the DJ said.
The five-day timeline is still not over. We will update the article with Apple’s response when or if it comes.
Similar incident before
One incident always cited whenever such things happen is the Galaxy Note 7 disaster. The situation became so bad that Samsung had to recall it altogether. Apple is no stranger to such situations either. There have been numerous incidents of iPhones catching fire, including one in 2016 when an iPhone exploded and almost destroyed the owner’s car.
Although such explosions are rare for laptops, one similar incident was reported last year. An HP laptop that was left charging overnight exploded, resulting in considerable damage to property. The incident took place on the night of March 23, 2018 at a tarpaulin and netting specialist store in Letchworth, England.
“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,” a local newspaper quoted the store owner as saying.
The store owner received an insurance payment to help him continue his business.
The laptop in question was a 2014 HP Envy model, which qualified for HP’s recall program for units purchased between 2013 and 2016. It is not known if the store owner was aware of the program or replaced the laptop.
Here is the video of the incident.
How to prevent such incidents
Thermal events like this are a rare thing, but that does not mean they can’t happen to you. Such incidents usually happen when laptops are exposed to high temperatures or charged using third-party or duplicate chargers.
Every laptop user must follow precautions to prevent such incidents: try not to leave your laptop in a car or expose it to direct sunlight; regularly check for any bulge or other irregularity in the battery; always use a genuine accessory; and do ensure that your laptop is powered off before putting it in a bag.