Above is a picture of a CFL light bulb from someone's bathroom.
It was turned on and then started to smoke after a few minutes.
Then four inch flames were spewing out of the side of the ballast like a blow torch! The light was immediately turned off but it's certain that it would have caused a fire if the person was not right there. I
Imagine if the kids had left the lights on as usual when they were not in the room.
The bulb was taken to the MFB Fire Department (Melbourne Australia) to report the incident. They weren't at all surprised and said that it was not an uncommon occurrence.
Apparently, sometimes when the bulb burns out there is a chance that the ballast can start a fire. There have been reports issued about the dangers of these bulbs.
Internet research shows that, bulbs made by "Globe" in China seem to have the lion's share of problems. Lots of fires have been blamed on misuse of CFL bulbs, like using them in recessed lighting, pot lights, dimmers or in track lighting. This one was installed in a normal light socket.
The 'Globe' bulbs were bought at Bunnings.
They have been removed from the house.
CFL bulbs are a great energy saver but make sure you buy a name brand like Sylvania , Phillips or GE and not unknown brands from China ...
CONSUMER WATCH COMMENT: Bunnings should remove these light bulbs from all of their Australian stores.
The ACCC should also ban their importation immediately.
