Gamers Beware: XBox Could Be A Fire Hazard

Monday afternoon, the Little Rock Fire Department responded to a fire that investigators say was caused by a popular video game console.

Millions of people own an Xbox and the newer upgrade the XBox 360, but many may not be aware of the possible fire dangers connected to the machines. Two people in Little Rock heard of the warnings only after their house nearly burned down.

Gamers like Carl Olson take playing video games seriously, some dedicating hours to it. "The average week probably a couple of days worth that's too much," says Olson.

Microsoft game consoles Xbox and its successor Xbox 360 are two of the more popular with millions of units sold world-wide, they're also possibly dangerous. "My XBox 360 has the rings of death, which means something gone wrong you have to send it back for repair. Generally it's over heating inside," explains Olson.

Monday, while no one was home at the Little Rock house on the 5000 block of Cantrell Road, it caught on fire. Flames charred the interior.

Little Rock Fire Department Captain Jason Weaver says investigators traced the source to the power cord of an Xbox 360. "It was melted and it looked like they had it against the wall in on edge and things like that need a little space to dissipate heat," explains Weaver.

This isn’t the first house fire that has been linked to Xbox. In 2005, the family of an Illinois infant who was killed in a fire sued Microsoft, and so did the family of a teen from Texas who was burned.

Also in 2005, Microsoft issued a recall of more than 14 million XBox power cords, citing fire concerns. It seems some gamers didn't get the memo or are just not taking the warning seriously.

"It seems really unlikely. I've been gaming for years and I haven't seen anything like that," guesses Olson.

Microsoft estimates the risk at 1 in 10,000 and recommends owners unplug the XBoxes. Other recommendations are to avoid bending the cords and store the units some place other than the floor to cut down on friction. All to make sure the dangerous action stays on the screen.

The fire Marshall estimates more than $100,000 worth of property damage at the house that caught fire in Little Rock.

http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=64203