I believe old cathode ray tube tellies could have high voltages stored in capacitors long after they were switched off.

That explains it then as capacitors can and will give a nasty shock many hours after being isolated

When I left School, I worked in an engineering works next to a river. We were plagued with rats. One electrician made up a mouse trap device which had a metal base connected to one line from a huge capacitor, the other line was placed in some cheese.

Of course prior to setting, we'd charge the capacitor with voltage (from a wind up mega meter) and wait to see what happened. It was 100% successful, but would have never have made it through TVs Dragons Den into the high st as there was some risk of electrocution when setting the trap

Any capacitor that has been used and subjected to constant charge, has the potential to self charge itself if left disconnected from a supply or discharge path. This applies especially to high quality capacitors that have a low-leakage dielectric between the plates. This is because the dielectric has become physically stressed during previous charges, and when left disconnected the capacitor will recharge itself. Not only a fire risk, but real threat to life from electric shock for anybody who pokes around inside electrical equipment without being aware of the dangers. "Danger, High Vlotage" signs are there for a reason.

In some early CRT TVs, where high voltages (anything between say 12,000 and 25,000 volts) were involved, it was not uncommon for high voltage capacitors to have no 'bleed' discharge path to prevent this self-charging.

Most PCs and associated peripheral equipments tend to have power switches that are out of sight, and frequently on the rear of the equipment. It is common for there to be a tangled heap of unidentifiable power leads hidden behind the equipment. All very inconvenient in the event of an emergency when/if we need to isolate faulty equipment from the electricity supply in hurry. I have arranged that my PC and associated equipment, such as printers, scanners, etc., etc. share a common power source under the control of one master two pole emergency push button isolator. I was pleased I had this arrangement when the CD/DVD drive burst into flames inside my PC.

Is the manufacturer liable for what happened Westonman?

Good question. I suspect they could be. The problem is proving it within a reasonable time-frame and cost.

With an electrical fire there is always a high probability of damage to surrounding components, cable forms, etc. The cause of the fire then becomes a matter of technical judgement and 'expert opinion'. I suspect that Pioneer would have claimed the cause was elsewhere in my PC in order to side-step any responsibility. Especially since my PC is home assembled by myself to meet my own requirements. I suspect that Pioneer would not take too kindly to a do-it-yourself builder taking on the might of a major manufacture.

In my opinion the root of the fire was definitely inside the rear of CD/DVD drive; that is where the evidence suggested the highest temperatures had been achieved. But the fire did ignite an adjacent cable harness and render it unusable. The fire also damaged two HDD caddies mounted above the faulty CD/DVD drive.

A replacement drive cost me about £15. I had a spare cable-form to replace the burnt one, and I was able to replace the cooked plastic parts on the two damaged HDD caddies. I had my PC up and running again within 24 hours. I suspect it would have cost me a lot more than the £15, and a lot of time, to take on Pioneer. If I won, the likelihood is the most I would have received is a free CD/DVD drive that could have taken many months to obtain.