Surge Protectors are recalled due to fire risk

Safety notice: surge protectors are recalled due to fire risk. There has been a major recall of an electrical power strip surge protector that can overheat, smoke and start a fire. You should check your office and your home to determine if you are impacted by this recall. The recalled units (series APC 7 and APC 8) were manufactured by Schneider Electric before 2003. (See below for a photo of one of the recalled power strips.) If you do have one of the impacted units, unplug it immediately. Call Schneider Electric IT Corp. toll-free at 888-437-4007 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or go to http://recall.apc.com to see the surge protectors in question and/or to submit a claim for a free replacement. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said the company had received: 700 reports of overheating and melting; 13 reports of injuries, including smoke inhalation, and burns from touching the overheated device; 55 reports of property damage, including a house fire that caused $916,000 in damage and a fire in a medical facility that caused a loss of $750,000.