Digital set top boxes burst into flames

It seems that leaving your digital set top box unattended could endanger your life! As one street in Washington, Tyne and Wear found out last night when a power surge caused the boxes overheat and burst into flames. The streets other residents were alarmed to find local fire-fighters banging on their doors telling them to unplug their electrical equipment.

Many frightened residents fled their homes as the set top boxes began to spark and give off smoke. At one stage there were several fires ablaze at once which were quickly put under control by the emergency services. One man was burned when he attempted to pull the cables out of his equipment.

The fire service pointed out, that when there is a large power surge it is quite possible that a set top box can react like this. This means that the only safe way is to unplug the equipment at night and at anytime when it is unattended. However there are many people who use the equipment to record programmes at night or when they are away, which throws up all sorts of problems for owners.