Laptop battery explosion burns woman in Centreville

A laptop battery explosion in Queen Anne's County sent a woman to the hospital with burns to her face and upper body on Wednesday morning, the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal said.

At around 10:23 AM, the Goodwill Volunteer Fire Company responded to an office building on North Liberty Street in Centreville for a report of a small fire, officials said. An employee at the office reportedly extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived.

Officials say a 58-year-old woman who was using the malfunctioning laptop suffered superficial burns and was transported by helicopter to the Johns Hopkins Bayview Burn Center for treatment. Fire marshals determined the fire was caused by the computer's lithium battery.

The fire caused an estimated $1,500 in damage to office contents, fire marshals said.