Laptop Battery Blast Injures Pennsylvania Woman

Authorities say a computer laptop battery exploded in a suburban Philadelphia home over the weekend, injuring a woman.

Loretta Luff of Langhorne said the blast Sunday afternoon set her shirt on fire, and she stripped it off to smother small blazes on the rug and doused the six-year-old Dell with water.

Chief Frank Farry of the Langhorne-Middletown Fire Company said the blast left the battery pack in pieces and spread debris around the room.

Luff was treated at St. Mary Medical Center for burns to her arm, chest, foot and face, but she said she considers herself lucky.

Dell said in a statement that it would investigate. The company said customers are told that using an incompatible or third-party battery may increase the risk of fire or explosion.