DVD Player Explodes, Causing Small Fire

Wednesday, November 22, 2006 - Breckenridge, CO

On Monday, November 20, 2006, at approximately 10:30 a.m., the Red, White & Blue Fire District responded to a small fire at Valdoro Mountain Lodge. Upon arrival, firefighters made contact with the general manager, who stated that an employee was at the concierge desk, next to the check-in desk, when he heard a series of "popping noises" coming from under the desk area, where there was a cabinet.

When the employee opened the cabinet door, he saw fire coming out. The general manager ran to get the fire extinguisher while having someone call 9-1-1 and by the time he returned to the cabinet, the fire had self-extinguished.

Fire investigators determined that the cause of the fire appears to be an unintentional fire caused by electronic equipment. "It appears that the battery pack may have overheated because of being partially confined in the carrying/storage case, malfunction in the charging mechanism or a malfunction in the batteries" said Deputy Fire Marshal Jay Nelson. "Without an engineering review by the manufacturer, we will not be able to narrow the cause further," he said.

No one was injured and evacuated guests were able to return to their rooms quickly. Damage was minimal and confined to the cabinet below the concierge desk. Statements from witnesses and follow-up interviews confirm that the fire was unintentional and beyond the control of those who worked in the area or witnessed the fire. Fire officials stress the importance of following manufacturer’s recommendations for charging and use of portable electronic devices.

The manufacturer for the DVD player is Coby Electronics, model # TF DVD 7100. For further information or to find out what other products have been recalled, please visit: http://www.recall.gov

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Press Contact:
Capt. Kim Scott, PIO
cell: 970.485.4374
email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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