Laptop Explodes, Causes Small Fire On West Side; Nobody Injured

A possible defect in a lithium ion battery and/or laptop charger is being investigated as the probable cause of a small fire at a west side business Wednesday.
 
An employee at 6441 Enterprise Lane began charging a personal laptop using an electrical cord that wasn’t a standard-issue charger for that particular laptop. The battery inside the laptop was also a replacement battery purchased last November.
 
The laptop had been plugged directly into the office wall for just over an hour when suddenly the employee heard a loud noise, like a shelf falling onto the floor. When she got up to find out what was going on, she saw a large flame coming out of the office door. She immediately grabbed a dry chemical extinguisher and put out the fire.
 
While the laptop and some nearby papers suffered fire damage, nobody was injured during the incident.
 
Fire investigators are checking into the product histories of the battery and charger to determine whether either has been recalled for similar problems.