Swollen batteries and thermal events are a possibility (although rare) for any device with a battery, but a recent video has captured an unfortunate scenario where a MacBook Pro has caught fire and created enough smoke to set off the user’s home smoke alarms.
White Panda, a DJ, shared what happened to his MacBook Pro during what he claims was “normal use” on Reddit and Twitter. Fortunately, no one was hurt, although there was some damage to White Panda’s floors.
He further explained that he took the MacBook Pro to his local Apple Store about an hour after the incident. Staff put the notebook in a fire-proof safe and told him they would reach out after 24 hours.
White Panda says he called back to check on the incident and was told his case was escalated and Apple would get back to him within five days.
While it’s certainly no consolation for White Panda, thermal events like these are quite rare when looked at in context of the billions of Apple devices in use (1.4 billion as of last January). In any case, hopefully White Panda sees a quick resolution to this incident.
If you notice your battery swelling on any of your Apple devices, be sure to take it to your nearest Apple Store or Authorized Apple Service Provider.
As noted by White Panda, the video below shows his MacBook Pro a few minutes after the explosion happened and the fire died down.
My MacBook Pro exploded today during normal use. No injuries, luckily. Some damage to the house. Could have been worse – good thing I wasn’t on a plane.
Very curious to see how @Apple responds.@MacRumors @TechCrunch @9to5mac pic.twitter.com/pjmpv5Mx9b
— White Panda (@whitepanda) May 29, 2019
