Nothing was plugged into that outlet when it shorted out. The brand is Centerex. I don't know enough about electronics to say how it happened, but I won't be buying their stuff ever again.
All I know is that I haven't been to bed from last night, and I NEVER stay up this late. EVER. I was going to go to bed at 5 AM, but I felt like I SHOULD NOT go to bed! Then this happened at 9 AM, when any other day I would be asleep... and dead due to smoke inhalation! I heard a loud pop and then found this with fire shooting out of it like a blowtorch.
No working smoke alarms either. Interesting coincidence though is that a few days ago I noticed the alarm didn't have a battery in it and then an hour later by chance came across probably the only 9volt in the house. Didn't put it in though.
Yet another weird thing is that about a week ago I propped that up like that. For YEARS it had been laying flat on the floor, which would have meant the carpet would have went up pretty quick.
A lot of very strange things working to prevent the fire. Pure luck, or something else?
House almost burned down last year also. Luckily the neighbor saw it on fire and called. Odd thing about that is she said for the past 15 years she has vacuumed her house first and then done the dishes afterwards. But that one day (she says only time in 15 years) she vacuumed half the house, stopped and then did the dishes. That's when she saw the fire starting out of her kitchen window.