Samsung is Recalling More Than 1 Million Electric Ranges after Numerous Fire Reports

FILE - The logo of the Samsung Electronics Co. is seen at its office in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)
FILE - The logo of the Samsung Electronics Co. is seen at its office in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)
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Samsung is Recalling More Than 1 Million Electric Ranges after Numerous Fire Reports

FILE - The logo of the Samsung Electronics Co. is seen at its office in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)
FILE - The logo of the Samsung Electronics Co. is seen at its office in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

Samsung is recalling more than 1.12 million electric ranges used for stovetops after reports of 250 fires and dozens of injuries.
According to a Thursday notice from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, these slide-in ranges have front-mounted knobs that can be activated by accident if humans or pets unintentionally contact or bump into them. That poses a fire hazard.
To date, Samsung has received more than 300 reports of the knobs activating unintentionally since 2013, the CPSC noted, and the now-recalled ranges have been involved in about 250 fires. At least 18 of those fires caused extensive property damage and seven involved pet deaths, according to the Commission.
In addition, the CPSC added, about 40 injuries have been reported, including eight that required medical attention.
According to The Associated Press, consumers can identify whether their slide-in electric range is included in this recall by looking at the model number printed on the product. Both Samsung and the CPSC have published a list of affected models online.
The recalled ranges were sold between May 2013 and August 2024 online at Samsung.com as well as in retailers nationwide — including Best Buy, Costco, Home Depot and Lowe's.
Consumers in possession of a recalled range are urged to contact New Jersey-based Samsung Electronics America for a free set of knob locks or covers compatible for installation with their model. In the meantime, those impacted should take extra caution to keep children and pets away from the knobs, and check their range before leaving the house or going to bed to make sure it's off, the CPSC said.
As part of general stovetop and oven safety, the Commission added that consumers should “never place, leave, or store anything on the top of your range” when not in use — as such items can ignite if it's accidentally activated.



DeepSeek Faces Expulsion from App Stores in Germany

FILE - The smartphone apps DeepSeek page is seen on a smartphone screen in Beijing, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
FILE - The smartphone apps DeepSeek page is seen on a smartphone screen in Beijing, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
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DeepSeek Faces Expulsion from App Stores in Germany

FILE - The smartphone apps DeepSeek page is seen on a smartphone screen in Beijing, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
FILE - The smartphone apps DeepSeek page is seen on a smartphone screen in Beijing, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

Germany has taken steps towards blocking Chinese AI startup DeepSeek from the Apple and Google app stores due to concerns about data protection, according to a data protection authority commissioner in a statement on Friday.

DeepSeek has been reported to the two US tech giants as illegal content, said commissioner Meike Kamp, and the companies must now review the concerns and decide whether to block the app in Germany, Reuters reported.

"DeepSeek has not been able to provide my agency with convincing evidence that German users' data is protected in China to a level equivalent to that in the European Union," she said.

"Chinese authorities have far-reaching access rights to personal data within the sphere of influence of Chinese companies," she added.

The move comes after Reuters exclusively reported this week that DeepSeek is aiding China's military and intelligence operations.

DeepSeek, which shook the technology world in January with claims that it had developed an AI model that rivaled those from US firms such as ChatGPT creator OpenAI at much lower cost, says it stores numerous personal data, such as requests to the AI or uploaded files, on computers in China.