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Erika Shoolbred, of Spartanburg, posted a video of the dryer on Facebook, showing a steady stream of flames shooting from the device that she had just bought online. Matt Walsh VIDEO SUBMITTED BY Erika Shoolbred
Erika Shoolbred, of Spartanburg, posted a video of the dryer on Facebook, showing a steady stream of flames shooting from the device that she had just bought online. Matt Walsh VIDEO SUBMITTED BY Erika Shoolbred

Local

SC woman’s hand burned when fancy new hair dryer turns into blow torch

By LaVendrick Smith

lvsmith@charlotteobserver.com

February 01, 2018 11:27 AM

An upstate South Carolina woman’s new hair dryer took its purpose to an extreme Monday, when it caught fire.

Erika Shoolbred, of Spartanburg, posted a video of the dryer on Facebook, showing a steady stream of flames shooting from the device that she had just bought online.

“Talk about a bad hair day!” she wrote. “My new hair dryer (more like hair frier) from OraCorp on Amazon.com became a blow torch on its first use this morning.”

The dryer left a small burn on her hand and created a bad smell in her bathroom, Shoolbred wrote, but she was otherwise unharmed. That didn’t stop her Facebook friends from making light of the situation.

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“You can make creme brûlée now,” one user joked.

“Wow! I’ve seen some blow dryer mishaps but, that really beats all!” another friend said. “The worst disaster for me was flames shooting from the handle. That was not a brand new dryer, though. I’m glad you’re okay!”

Others likened the hair dryer to flamethrowers sold by billionaire CEO Elon Musk. Those legitimate flamethrowers — there were 20,000 on sale — have sold out, however, according to Musk.

“Who needs Elon Musk's new flamethrower when they can just buy one of those hair dryers??” a friend joked.

The dryer has been removed from Amazon’s website, Shoolbred told TV station WSPA. Amazon also refunded her, the station reported.

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