Hard drive fire...yes fire !

[Hackeriz]

I have NEVER EVER heard that HDD can catch on fire by itself
Unless pc was "Self-Built" and the PSU was too strong.
Maybe the fire started somewhere near the HDD and just got onto it.
I had one similar problem with external HDD that i put into my old HP computer. I plugged the wrong PSU so it overheated and Read/Write heads melted.

[BC_Programmer]

I have NEVER EVER heard that HDD can catch on fire by itself
Unless pc was "Self-Built" and the PSU was too strong.
Maybe the fire started somewhere near the HDD and just got onto it.
I had one similar problem with external HDD that i put into my old HP computer. I plugged the wrong PSU so it overheated and Read/Write heads melted.

Anything with electronics can catch fire if you put enough electricity through it, I would think.

[Geek-9pm]

Anything with electronics can catch fire if you put enough electricity through it, I would think.

Exactly!

[DaveLembke]

Anything with electronics can catch fire if you put enough electricity through it, I would think.

Tantalum Capacitors    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantalum_capacitor
  like to burn nicely! Seen many of them destruct with normal voltage input, and burn bright and hot like maganesium burns, as well as a very nasty stench. Once they start burning, even with power taken away either by blown fuse or operator pulling cord, they continue to burn and can burn holes in PCB's. Generally the small fire is out within a matter of seconds. It all depends on the size of the cap and the material to burn. Also if you have any really old electronics with them in there, its best to replace them with new as for their failure rate increases with age, and so about 30 years later and power is applied they like to touch off from internal shorting and burn. If your lucky they just burn up and 2 melted legs remain to connect a new capacitor in its place, but if unlucky they can burn and destroy the PCB. I use to fix "really old" computers and one specific make was prone to burning tantalum caps, the North Star  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Star_Computers

Here is more info on aged/failed tantalum caps:
http://www.retrotechnology.com/herbs_stuff/s_repair.html

[Computer_Commando]

The National Electrical Code (NEC) is developed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).  Where there is electricity, there is always the potential for fire.  NEC doesn't cover electronics or computers & generally ends at the wall receptacle.

Just because a 12VDC battery doesn't give you a shock when you touch it, doesn't mean that it's harmless.  Drop a screwdriver or wrench across a car battery & see what happens.  They always say it's not the Volts that gets you, it's the Amps.