SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20181122-C0137-2147384213. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: General Electric JNM1541SM5SS (Over stove GE stainless steel microwave oven.). Incident: The GE microwave over the stove was installed in my new home when I purchased it about 6 years ago. It has never been used because it is too high for me. I am only 5 feet tall. I use a small countertop model. On November 14, 2018 in the evening I noticed flames through the glass door of the microwave. I opened the door and the flames were coming from the ceiling of the microwave, and the inside was burning bright red. I closed the door and watched to see if I needed to call the fire department. I am 81 years old and live alone. The fire went out on its own. I unplugged it the next day after it cooled. I called GE who was only willing to sell me a new microwave. They had nothing to say about a fire. I have since had an electrician out to check my electricity. He said the fire came from inside the microwave and that there were lawsuits pending from GE microwaves catching fire while not in use. There was nothing wrong with the electricity in my home.