Lexar drives recalled over flash fire risk

Digital memory manufacturer Lexar has voluntarily recalled two of its flash drive products after discovering that they could potentially overheat and harm users.

Lexar's JumpDrive FireFly and Secure II drives were pulled from shops in America on Thursday, in co-operation with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

"The recalled JumpDrive FireFly and Secure II products could overheat, posing a risk of burns to consumers and property damage," said the Commission in a statement, adding that no injuries or incidents have been reported.

A UK spokesman for Lexar explained that the firm had taken action once it realised there was the possibility of a drive overheating, and insisted that it was not aware of any customers experiencing a problem of this nature.

Neither product has been sold in the UK, although consumers could have picked them up while travelling abroad. The Firefly range is due to launch in the UK on 17 July, and Lexar says that this won't be affected by the US recall.

"The hardware issue has been identified and resolved," said the Lexar spokesman.

The Firefly range starts at 256MB, which will cost around £19.99, while the maximum capacity drive offers 4GB of storage for around £179.99.