MacBook Battery Inferno Down Under

Recalls have been issued for MacBook Pro batteries, but this photo depicts a model not on the list, according to Aussie owner Matty.

He claims it was charging in sleep mode and began smoking, with the battery compartment clearly the source of the action.

"As I was running I saw a fire. At first I thought that the lamp had fallen and set fire to the curtain. As I got closer I realised it was my mac book .... burning! I picked it up and blew on it and swung it around to put the flames out. The book shelf it was sitting on was burnt and there were a couple of magazines that were on fire too. I quickly put those out and calmed down."

At this point, don't panic: the simple fact is that Lithium batteries all carry the remote possibility of chemical problems, and it's not a sign of a general defect. Wait until more reports surface before going nuts.

MacBook Inferno! An Apple MacBook battery catches fire. [NewLaunches]