The first thing I noticed was the smell. Burning paint, smoldering wires.

Upon investigation, I found the floor under our UPC (un-interruptible power supply) was smoldering - never a good sign.

Turns out the UPC had malfunctioned, overheated, and reached 'China Syndrome' melt-down stage.

Had we been out of town for a couple of days, it could have burned the building down.

But we were lucky. We caught it just in time.

Looking back, I realize I should have had a smoke detector in my office - where all my computer equipment is. And a fire extinguisher.

I'll have both by the end of the day today. And I'll be putting the replacement UPS on a concrete pad instead of directly on the floor.

What about your own office?

With all the electronic equipment you have connected, have you taken the basic precautions of having a smoke detector in the room. And a fire extinguisher?

If not, today might be the day to get one.

The following was added after the the above tip went out

APC has recalled 2.1 million APC Uninterruptible Power Supplies. The models included in the recall are models CS 325, 350, 475, and 500 among others.

Find the recall list at http://www.apc.com/rely/index.cfm?ISOCountryCode=us.