Dell laptop fire "burns" home in US

This is one bit of publicity that PC maker Dell could have done without. A fire that destroyed a home in Biddeford, Maine. last week has been blamed on a Dell laptop that was plugged in and re-charging while sitting on a living room couch according to an IT website.

The house fire in Biddeford last Monday began about 8:30 am after the owners used the computer, then left it plugged in to charge while they went to work. The Dell Inspiron 1200 apparently "had something happen with the cord or the power unit on the cord," told Christopher Stanford, a state fire marshal investigator to the website.

Fire officials ruled out other potential causes or arson.

It was the second house fire caused by a laptop in the area since last summer, when a Compaq laptop erupted in flames and destroyed another home, according to fire officials.

The laptop was reportedly not among the computers recalled last year for battery problems that could cause overheating and fires.