Aldi shopper 'panics' after vacuum explodes and catches fire
A woman says she is shaken after an Aldi vacuum she didn't realise had been recalled exploded while she was using it.
The smoke detectors in Diana Crisafis' Gold Coast home were set off following the ordeal on Friday when she said her Easy Home Multicyclonic Vacuum Cleaner exploded and caught fire, causing small burns to one of her feet.
The product was sold at Aldi stores nationwide between February 5 and March 3 last year, and again between September 5 and December 9.
A recall was issued on December 23 over concerns the vacuum’s motor could overheat when the dust filter became blocked and potentially result in a fire.
Ms Crisafis said the explosion and subsequent fire on Friday also left her home with a residual burning stench.
"I have some burns to my toes but luckily I was wearing sandals and they saved the top of my foot from the burns," she told Yahoo News Australia.
Aldi worker reveals secret code that shows discontinued items
TikTok user reveals Woolworths trolley trick for self-serve checkouts
"It was a very scary thing to happen ... it could have been a lot worse if there were children around or even could have started an electrical fire," she said.
Ms Crisafis recalled the "panic of trying to unplug the vacuum from the power" while the smoke alarms were going off.
"The house still has that electrical burn smell," she said.
Her husband planned to return the vacuum to an Aldi store over the weekend.
She claimed the discount chain store had not done enough to inform its customers of the dangers involved with using the vacuum.
"Definitely not, not everyone looks at the notice board when doing their shop," she said.
"On a serious note, it was lucky it was me. Imagine an elderly person dealing with that."
She contacted Aldi herself but said she was simply told about the recall of the vacuum.
Ms Crisafis shared her experience to Facebook following the close call, with some users recalling seeing news of the faulty vacuum cleaner on their store's notice board.
"That’s not good at all. Hope your burns aren't too bad. I often look at their little notice board and see things that get recalled," one person wrote in a comment.
"Hope you're OK. Yes the recall was up on the notice board at my local about 3 or 4 months after they had them on sale," another said.
An Aldi spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia the supermarket chain encourages shoppers to return the vacuum immediately if they still had one.
“It is unfortunate that this product has not met our strict safely and quality standards,” they said.
“We are actively encouraging anyone who purchased the Multicyclonic Vacuum Cleaner to return the product to any of our stores for a full refund.
“We have been promoting this recall on our website, in stores and on our Facebook page.”
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
