Sanyo fans kill 2

Two Die in Fire From Sanyo Electric Fan
Associated Press 08.23.07, 9:57 AM ET

OKYO -

An old electric fan produced by Sanyo Electric Co. caused a fire and killed two people this week, forcing the beleaguered company to apologize Thursday and urge consumers to stop using the model.

The accident occurred in Tokyo on Monday. Fire broke out from the fan, produced in 1970, apparently due to decay in its motor and other parts, Sanyo said in a statement. It denied that there was a design flaw or other defects.

"We confirmed the accident was caused by the fire from the fan," the company said. "We take the accident very seriously."

The Osaka-based electronics maker has received 23 similar reports since 2000, including two people who suffered burns, according to company spokesman Akihiko Oiwa.

Sanyo is trying to get back on track under investors led by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (nyse: GS - news - people ), which last year put $2.6 billion toward bailing out the company.

I wonder if I should call Goldman Sachs and let them know I have a good investment for them, a product that will give an added margin of safety for all the devices in your home.

The lesson? Aging fans are not the only devices in your home that have the potential for danger. The National Fire Safety Institute doesn't collect statistics about how many of these fires are started, but we all hear stories about these incidents.

Fan blamed for dorm fire

Residence halls evacuated again
By Justin Myers, Staff Writer. Posted April 24, 2007.
Chris Dunn/Staff Photographer
...
Residents of the Hudson and Gillett residence halls were evacuated after a second fire in less than a week triggered a fire alarm Sunday night. The alarm was the fourth in eight days for Gillett.

At approximately 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, an electrical fire started in a maintenance workshop in the basement of Hudson, according to a Columbia Fire Department news release.

The release stated a fan motor overheated to start the fire.

“(The fan) was just an item that got left on that, in most cases, one would think that you could leave on, and it just happened to burn out,” Residential Academic Programs Associate Director Kristen Temple said.

...

According to the release, the fire caused less than $10,000 in estimated total damages.

If I had to leave a fan on, I'd plug it into a power strip that could turn it off if the fan started to overheat.

Faulty fan causes house fire

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NEWARK -- Three puppies were rescued Wednesday night from a house fire on Central Avenue caused by a malfunctioning fan.

Newark firefighters were called to 236 Central Ave. at 9:32 p.m. Wednesday after a neighbor heard a smoke alarm sounding inside the home, Assistant Fire Chief Bill Spurgeon said.

The residents were not home, so firefighters had to force their way inside to fight the fire. The crews searching the house found and saved three puppies, bringing them out to the owners.

Spurgeon said he determined the fire started as a result of a malfunctioning electrical fan in the rear of the house. He estimated damage, which was contained to the first floor, at $2,000.

Fans are left powered on for long periods, especially to keep pets cool while the owner is away. I think that's a great application for a smoke detecting power strip.