SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20181115-2E3E0-1810579. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: Sunbeam SQH310 (Space Heater). Incident: The consumer indicates that his tenant called him because there was a burning smell in her apartment. When the consumer went to check, he noticed a distinct plastic burning smell, and once he looked around, he noticed that it was coming from the space heater even though the unit was not on. The consumer lifted the unit and noticed a burn hole in the carpet about one point five inches in diameter. The consumer notes that he has purchased three of the same units in the past however they stopped working within the first year and a half. The consumer has an extra two units that are still functioning however he stopped using them because he is concerned about the fire hazard they pose. 11/15/2018 - The consumer contacted the Manufacturer and explained the situation; the representative he spoke to unformed him that they stopped manufacturing this product two years ago. The representative did not offer any assistance for the unit in question nor the remaining three. The consumer indicates that the space heater was used approximately every other day for about three to four hours during the colder months for the past two years. The consumer plans on keeping his space heater for at least the next thirty days in case in investigation ensues.