Madonna Badger, the woman who lost her three children and parents in a house fire over the Christmas season, has attempted suicide.

Badger’s story is beyond sad. Her Connecticut abode caught fire on December 25, taking the lives of her seven-year-old twins Grace and Sarah Badger, Lily Badger, 10, and her parents Lomer and Pauline Johnson. The blaze was caused by yule log embers. Only Badger and her boyfriend Michael Borcina survived.

Now, Badger has attempted to take her own life. A family member revealed to the NY Daily News that the mother had been hospitalized after she purposely injured herself in a bid to escape the pain of losing her entire family:

“She is okay… She is out [of the hospital] and somewhere safe. It’s just terrible, nobody could really hold up well under the circumstances.”

A funeral service for all those who died in the fire was held on January 5, during which Badger said:

“When I used to hear about people losing a child I would say I could never ever, ever live through losing my babies. Gracie asked a thousand times if she was going to die before me. I said, ‘No. that’s never going to happen.”

Apparently, Michael Borcina may be in trouble with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, after it was revealed his construction company – which had been doing renovation work on Badger’s waterfront home – did not possess the correct paperwork to undertake such work in the state. It’s not been confirmed if an investigation will follow.

[Via NY Daily News]

Madonna Badger Attempted Suicide After Christmas House Fire is a post from: The Inquisitr

Block was one of three victims in the fire, which tore through a privately rented home near the Marist College campus early Saturday morning. As well as Block, the other victims are reportedly a female in her early 20s and a male who was not a Marist student. All three victims’ families have been notified. A further four people escaped from the premises without serious harm.

Since the weekend, the Marist College chapel has been open all day for students to light a candle and say a prayer.

Police chief Mauro told reporters that the fire was initially called into 911 by a passer-by at about 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, while four female residents and three male guests were in the property. The group had reportedly gone to bed about an hour before the fire was called in. After interviewing the four survivors – two of whom jumped to safety through a window – Mauro said:

“There was no issue that they were aware of in the house when they went to bed.”

When firefighters arrived on the scene, they were forced back by the heat. Eventually they found one victim on the second floor of the house, one downstairs, and the third under “considerable collapsed debris.” Meanwhile, the four survivors were taken to hospital and treated for minor smoke inhalation.

Marist College Student Identified as Victim of House Fire is a post from: The Inquisitr

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK- Impassive, seen-it-all New York City types were stunned this weekend when news broke that a woman had been burned to death- seemingly by a stranger- in the elevator of her apartment building in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.

The incident was the second elevator-related death within the five boroughs in the past week- just a few days prior, another Brooklyn woman was killed when an elevator malfunctioned in a Manhattan high-rise, crushing her and traumatizing two other riders in the lift. Both deaths were horrific in nature, but the murder of Deloris Gillespie shocked New Yorkers, who wondered if the killing was random and if an arson-crazed killer was on the loose in Brooklyn.

It turns out that the 73-year-old woman and the 47-year-old man believed to be attacking her in the surveillance video (widely distributed after the incident) were acquainted, and suspect Jerome Issacs soon visited a police station to confess his involvement. After the incident, neighbors came forward to say Issacs had been harassing Gillespie over what he believed to be a $2,000 debt accrued while the two lived together, and that Issacs appeared to be assisting Gillespie before the working relationship soured over theft accusations from Gillespie. Building residents noted that Gillespie often covered her door with duct tape when leaving the building, which they believed to be due to Issac’s alleged harassment.

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne says Issac admitted to setting fires, but may not have confessed to the murder:

“He indicated that he was responsible for setting a fire- he didn’t say anything about a homicide… Since then, he has made statements implicating himself in the attack.”

Issac has been charged with murder and arson.

Suspect Who Burned Woman in Elevator Blames $2K Debt For Violent Murder is a post from: The Inquisitr

Surveillance cameras caught the images of a black man walking into the building, and waiting for Gillespie to get to the floor of her apartment on the elevator.  He then walked up to the elevator, where Gillespie was standing with her groceries, doused her with a flammable liquid and threw a Molotov Cocktail at her.  The elevator filled with smoke as Gillespie burned to death.

Police refused to speak about the motive for the crime, but are confident that the suspect new Gillespie.  Neighbors had reported a fire in the building but had no idea the woman was burning to death in the elevator.

The suspect seemed, in the video, to be very methodical…making sure Gillespie was thoroughly doused before lighting the Molotov Cocktail with a Barbeque Lighter. He only hesitated for a second before throwing it  at Gillespie.

Do you think the man was mentally ill or out for revenge?

Woman Attacked In Elevator And Set On Fire! is a post from: The Inquisitr

A female patient in Florida was rushed to an Alabama burn center after her face caught fire during a routine surgery.

Kim Grice was having cysts removed from her head at an outpatient surgery center in Cestview, Florida when a sudden flash engulfed her face.

Crestview Fire Department Chief Joseph Traylor told ABC News:

“A flash fire is basically a fire that flashes up and then goes out … The fire was already out when our staff arrived.”

The 29-year-old mother of three was treated at the  North Okaloosa Medical Center and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

According to one expert surgery equipment can sometimes heat to the point where a fire is started, most often when laser tools heat up and a fire is fueled by alcohol, surgical drapes and oxygen.

This past October the U.S. Food and Drug Administration started an initiative to stop surgical fires through increased awareness and the promotion of better reduction practices.

Speaking to the Crestview News Bulletin Grice’s mom Ann noted:

“I am in shock. This is not what happens with a routine outpatient surgery.”

Ann went on to state:

“She had headaches and the doctor was going to remove three cysts and biopsy them but something went bad wrong and my daughter is now in a burn unit with burn specialists and I still do not know what happened. No one will tell me why or how this happened to her.”

Grice is said to be in stable condition and recovering from the burns she received.

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

Woman’s Face Erupts Into Flames During Surgery is a post from: The Inquisitr

Okay this is definitely one that I didn’t see coming but according to researchers at Columbia University there is a vulnerability affecting millions of printers that could literally see them being hacked into setting themselves on fire.

Professor Salvatore Stolfo has found that the devices are totally open and exploitable; which is possibly due to the increasing amount of technology that is being crammed into printers while at the same time security has been lagging.

One of the leading printers found to have this vulnerability is the HP LaserJet line of printers that allows hackers to push unauthorized firmware updates to the printers. Apparently the HP printers will go out to the web before printing to see if there are any updates that it might need. The problem is that the printers don’t do any kind of source check before downloading and installing any updates. this means that anyone with any kind of know-how can trick the printers into accepting the bad update.

When it came to demonstrating the kind of damage that could be done Professor Stolfo showed how it was possible to get the printer to overheat the fuser until it melts, and while there are protection switches to stop the printer from actually catching on fire Stolfo showed that it could be done.

There are more subtle applications as well. In another demonstration, an infiltrated printer was used to copy printed documents and send them off to hackers. In this case, tax returns being printed on an infected device were copied and sent off to hackers where they could be scanned for information like social security numbers. And of course, any hackers who wanted to just disable printers in an entirely mundane fashion could do that as well, easily.

via Geekosystem

Of course this possibility of hacked printers never thought it would happen as they push for an Internet of Things eh.

image via chaz6.com on Flickr

HP printers prone to an exploits that could light them on fire is a post from: The Inquisitr

Does gratuitously lighting stuff on fire ever become less fun as you age?

Challenge Accepted, Awareness Edition is a post from: The Inquisitr

One of the more interesting things about Amazon’s new Fire tablet is their own browser called Silk. What makes the browser interesting is that it uses a “split” design that has any browser traffic using Silk going through the Amazon servers.

This apparently has gotten a few folks in Congress concerned because of possible privacy issues. Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) has come out saying that the idea of Amazon funneling all the traffic through its servers is bothersome to say the least.

Not to be left out Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) has sent a letter to Amazon seeking some clarification on the possible privacy issues. In his letter MArkey is asking:

• What information does Amazon plan to collect about users of the Kindle Fire?
• How does Amazon intend to use this information?
• How will Amazon convey its privacy policy to Fire and Silk users?
• If Amazon plans to collect information about its users’ Internet browsing habits, will customers be able to affirmatively opt in to participate in the data sharing program?

Congress is concerned over privacy issues with Amazon’s new Silk browser is a post from: The Inquisitr

I’m not sure how it is that people can afford to do this type of crap given the prices of some of the gadgets (the iPad comes to mind) but that sure hasn’t stopped these brave, or insane, people from doing whatever they can to absolutely destroy their gadgets.

iPod meet torch

Lithium batteries aren’t meant for direct current

No home runs for this iPad

Where’s the marshmallows?

Start up the BBQ

Let me introduce you to my AK-47

Ouch

via DVICE

Some hilarious examples of gadget murder is a post from: The Inquisitr

Always wanted a cool, whoosh-y lightsaber?

You can get a similar handheld laser device on the internet now, for just under £140/$200. Of course, there are a few caveats, namely:

Warning: Extremely dangerous is an understatement to 1W of laser power. At close range, this Class 4 beam will cause immediate and irreversable retinal damage.

The handheld laser, being intelligently marketed as the “”the most dangerous laser ever created,” is said to have a beam 1000 times stronger than sunlight and in addition to turning your eyes into molten hot lava if misdirected can also apparently burn skin and cause cancer. Laser Safety Expert John Colton, who has an extremely cool title, spoke to Sky News about the dangers inherent in mass-marketing hot, scary lasers to Star Wars fans:

“Under no circumstances should they be on sale on the internet,” he said.

Mr Colton, who has published a recent study on laser safety, said the 1W beam was 1,000 times stronger than laser pointers normally available to the public.

They could be “deadly” if aimed at car drivers or even pilots in planes, Mr Colton added.

Copy on the website reads as if it’s directed straight at Beavis and Butthead:

“This laser possesses the most burning capabilities of any portable laser in existence,” the website reads.

“That’s why it’s also the most dangerous laser ever created… it will blind permanently and instantly and set fire quickly to skin and other body parts.”

Don’t get too alarmed- even though the devices are said to be able to crash planes and burn down houses, each unit comes with safety goggles.

Wicked lasers markets lightsaber-like hand laser, what could possibly go wrong? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Oh yes. The ESRB, the body responsible for age ratings on games in North America, has just revealed a rating for My Fireplace, a forthcoming Nintendo Wii game from Korner Interactive that the ESRB describes thus:

“[A game] in which players can tend to a virtual fireplace. Players can add logs to the fire, add decorations to the mantle, and pump air into the fireplace to keep the flames burning.”

Brilliant, and so damn weird it’s almost beyond parody.

See also: Actually not a joke: the Wii Baby Doll peripheral

[ESRB, via Joystiq]

Virtual fireplace ‘game’ coming to Nintendo Wii is a post from: The Inquisitr

I sure hope that this doesn’t happen to you as you play with your new Dell laptop that you got for Christmas. Unfortunately though for one woman her Dell Mini 9 started making popping sounds, then began to hiss and sizzle – not good – and the room filled with smoke.

Just to ease your mind Dell has replaced the laptop.

hat tip to Mike Elgan

Dell laptop gets all hot and bothered – burns the floor is a post from: The Inquisitr

This pic did the rounds earlier in the week, but for those who missed it, it’s still brilliant.

Via JPG, She’s just an innocent bystander. Or is she?

Firestarter is a post from: The Inquisitr

Photos from the scene show flames actually shooting from lower-level windows. Crews say the fire moved through the building’s second level and eventually reached the roof. It took firefighters three hours to get it under control.

Investigators think an air conditioning unit may have sparked the flames. No one was hurt, but it’s too soon to know just how much damage was done.

The Mercury News says some Apple employees came to see what was going on in the midst of the fight and snapped some photos of the action on their iPhones.

Fire Tears Through Apple Campus is a post from: The Inquisitr