Reports of mobile phones catching fire and causing serious injuries are pretty common, but it looks like another smart device is joining the controversial topic. Popular smart home speaker, Amazon Echo Dot, caught fire in a home in Ohio, US, but did not cause any serious damage to the home or its members.
Amazon has been building smart home speakers for the longest period, even before Google and Apple joined the race. The Echo speakers are critically-acclaimed gadgets and quite popular as they offer great value at affordable prices. This new incident raises a major concern among users, But Amazon is actively working to contain the situation.
According to Fox8 News, the Echo Dot that caught fire filled the kitchen with smoke and flames. The Sandusky family that owned the device wasn't home at the time of the incident. Describing the accident, Joe Jachym, a retired Sandusky firefighter with 26 years of experience, said the electrical outlet and device charger cord were not damaged even as the Echo Dot melted due to fire and caused charred wood counter and smoke stains on the kitchen cabinets.
"Me and my wife, we came back home and went into the front living room. And I was going outside to check on something and I came in and the smoke was banked down. And I yelled to her, 'Your Alexa is burning!'" Jachym said.
One of the concerning factors of the incident is that the Echo Dot was bought only two months ago. The reason behind the Echo Dot catching fire also remains unknown, but Amazon has taken the device for inspection.
"Amazon takes the safety of its products seriously. We have reached out to this customer and are investigating this matter," an Amazon spokesperson was quoted as saying by the paper.
Amazon is also shipping a new Echo Dot, which costs $50 in the U.S. The family plans on getting a refund for the Echo Dot from the store they purchased.
We'd recently reviewed the Echo Dot smart speaker and found it to be worth the money. The integrated Alexa lets you perform various tasks like changing music, getting news updates and more just by giving voice commands. While this one incident doesn't paint the Echo Dot in bad picture, it will be comforting to get an official word from Amazon regarding to unsuspected fire from the Echo Dot and if it is safe to use.
Mobile phones catching fire
We've come across several incidents of blasts and mobile phones catching fire. As a result, several people have endured serious burns and injuries, while some incidents even claimed lives of the victims. Luckily, Amazon Echo Dot's fire incident did not go to such lengths.
