Laptop explodes

By Melissa Meehan
A WOORI Yallock house was engulfed by flames after a laptop exploded into a ball of fire last week.
David and Tammy Bastian and their four children had only recently moved into their newly built house.
Mrs Bastian said that her young son was playing on his Sony laptop about lunchtime on Saturday 17 May when it exploded with no warning.
“It was like a ball of flames,” Mrs Bastian said.
“It landed on the couch. We had no chance of putting the fire out.”
Mrs Bastian then decided to call the fire brigade while trying to get her four young children out to safety.
“After I got the kids out I realised I didn’t have a phone to call the fire brigade so I had to run back in and get the phone,” Mrs Bastian said.
She said that the house was soon engulfed in flames.
Mrs Bastian said that the roof of her dream home had been burnt out and she expected that some walls would have to be replaced.
“The smell of the smoke is unbelievable, it just goes through everything,” Mrs Bastian said.
She said she was surprised that a laptop could cause so much damage.
“I never knew laptops were so dangerous,” Mrs Bastian said.
“Apparently, it isn’t the first time something like this has happened.”
She said she was amazed that her son was unharmed by the explosion. “Amazingly, to God’s grace, there was not a burn on my son,” Mrs Bastian said.
“There was an angel looking over him.”
Seville Fire Brigade captain and Yarra Valley group officer Rowland Rak said he accepted Mrs Bastian’s account of seeing the laptop explode.
“All signs show that the fire was started on the couch, by the explosion from the laptop,” Capt Rak said.
After the initial shock of the blaze, the family has decided to rebuild.
The young couple had almost finished their home, which had come to pass with many hours of work.
Many of their friends had helped build the family’s dream home.
One man at the scene of the blaze said he had helped in the construction and would pitch in again.
“Well, I built the frame the first time so I will know how to build it the second time, won’t I?” he said.
Sony Australia corporate communications manager Jenny Geddes said she was unaware of the incident and that Sony took cases such as this seriously.
She said she would investigate claims made by the Bastian family.
There have already been a number of pledges of physical and financial help.
Anyone who would like to help the Bastian family with donations can deposit money at the Woori Yallock Bendigo Bank, marked ‘Woori Fire Account’.
Any further inquiries can be made by ringing 0409 517 273.