Laptop battery explodes in Normandy Park kitchen

The owner of an HP laptop tells KIRO 7 her computer battery exploded and caught fire last week, causing damage in her family's kitchen.

Cassandra Etherington said she was about 10 feet from the laptop, which was sitting on a kitchen counter in her family's Normandy Park home.

Etherington said she heard a small pop followed by a big boom, then looked up to see the computer flying into the air and flipping over.

"The battery just shot straight out of it and that's the piece that was on fire," Etherington said

She stomped out the fire with a Christmas apron and was unhurt.

A big mess in a Normandy Park kitchen after a laptop battery exploded. We spoke with the computer owner who saw it happen and stomped out the flames. The computer was not part of a recent recall for batteries that can overheat and catch fire. I've been in touch with the company and federal safety regulators for our story on KIRO 7 News at 5.
Posted by Graham Johnson on Wednesday, December 28, 2016

The laptop was not covered by an HP recall this past summer for batteries that can overheat and catch fire.

KIRO 7 helped connect the Etherington family with HP company officials, who said they are taking the matter very seriously, including coming in on their vacation to investigate and even sending a worker to Seattle to personally pick up the battery.

An HP spokeswoman said the company wants to review the circumstances of the fire, and the history of the battery, as products that look like HP batteries sometimes turn out to be counterfeit.

A 2016 HP battery recall covered newer laptops, sold between 2013 and 2015.

Etherington's father said he bought the HP laptop, a Pavillion G6, new online in 2011.

When KIRO 7 entered the serial number into the HP website, it was not covered by a recall.

HP is among several computer companies that have recalled lithium ion batteries because of the potential for overheating and starting fires.

A website for the Consumer Product Safety Commission shows the first HP battery recall in 2005 for fire and burn hazards.

A similar 2009 recall was expanded in 2010 and again in 2011.

The Etheringtons said they have reported the incident to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

An agency spokeswoman encourages consumers to report incidents via the website saferproducts.gov.