Lights Of America 13 Watt CFL Flood is a potential safety hazard

I had to call the fire department this weekend due to what ended up being an overheated ballast (and melting plastic cover) to a Lights of America 120V 2213 LPF (328) compact fluorescent light bulb installed in the can spotlighting in our basement. The bulb, which was about 4 years old, was burnt out but still very hot, and was emitting a very strong acrid odor like burning plastic that filled our basement. Firefighters were surprised to see a low-amperage bulb causing this problem. The discoloration in the center of the second photo is where the plastic cover appears to have "melted", tainting the cover a yellowish color. There was no actual fire, just heat and a strong acrid burnt odor coming from the ballast and plastic cover that filled the entire basement.  The fire department identified the location of the problem with an infrared device that detected the elevated temperature (despite the fact the bulb was burnt out - apparently recently). The fact that the light was burnt out (much sooner than advertised) suggests that the odors may have accompanied it's untimely death.

Bob, Westminster, Colorado

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