Fire Risk Prompts Wal-mart to Recall 1.5 Million DVD Players

Retail giant Wal-mart has issued a recall for 1.5 million Durabrand DVD players because they can overhead and pose a fire hazard.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in conjunction with retail giant Wal-mart, has issued a recall for some 1.5 million Durabrand standalone DVD players sold in its stores from January 2006 through July 2009. The players are compact, silver-colored units with a U-shaped opening on top for DVD disc; Wal-mart has had a dozen reports of the units overheating, five of which have caused fires leading to property damage—although there are no reports of injuries caused by the players’ overheating.

Befitting a Wal-mart product, the Durabrand players were on the expensive side, retailing most recently for about $30.

Wal-mart says customers should immediately stop using the DVD players and return them to a Wal-mart location for a complete refund. Wal-mart will not be offering replacement players.