First verified 3d-printer-related fatality?
And it was the printers fault?
Tragic though this is, there seems to be quite a lot of assumptions going on here and the finger pointing at the 3D printer is a leap when the room itself was used to store “highly flammable flash papers”, and was called “the smoke room”.
There’s no way of knowing whether the 3d printer was the ignition source or just the reason for the guy spraying lots of hairspray in a small office. Obviously multiple things had to go wrong here for the fire to happen. Perhaps we can take away some simple lessons like “use adequate ventilation” and “don’t store flammable objects near jury-rigged electronic heating devices like 3d printers.”
While I agree with the points above, the first few MSDS sheets on hair sprays I hit on google usually specify that the spray can should not be exposed to temperatures above 50~60 degrees Celsius. Further, hairspray typically uses ethanol (flash point of as low as 11 to 12 °C) or similar solvents. Given the exposed hot end of the printer, I’d have sprayed the bed outdoors, and let it dry completely before bringing it in (so that solvent vapors don’t build up).
Given that ABS/PLA are somewhat flammable (they definitely haven’t passed UL standards), that could add to the situation.
All of that being said, there is no evidence that this is the source of ignition, but a stack of plastic for the printer would definitely not have been ideal to have nearby as fuel.
@Nathan_Walkner Magic supplies shop. It sounds like the flash paper was what escalated the hairspray fireball from “burn all your hair off” to “burn the place down.”
Note: flash point is the temperature at which a flammable liquid will produce enough vapor to support flame. Autoignition point is the temperature at which the vapor/air mix will light on fire even without the presence of another flame or spark. Two different things.
@David_Sherwood Nobody uses the term “autoignition flashpoint,” it’s either “autoignition temperature,” or just “flash point.”
I used to use cans of hairspray and a lighter to make flamethrowers as a kid, yeah sure its flammable but fatal? I’d say the issue here is what else was in that room rather than the hairspray or the printer.
Really sad to hear. Thankfully, it’s not likely this bad combination of choices would ever be common. One more reason to concentrate on education and safety in the pursuit of making.
@Nathan_Walkner or at least du magic without pyrotechnic 
This tragic story is akin to “3D printer used to make gun”. Sure, you can. But you can buy stuff from a hardware store for little money that would make a decidedly superior and far more lethal gun than a 3D printed one, it would take less time and require one heck of a lot less skill and knowledge.
So, next time you read a news story, bear in mind that it is unlikely to be entirely factual, whether it is about politics, science or global warming.
Having said all that, as a father my heart goes out to these people - losing a child is such a terrible and tragic thing; I hope this story fades rapidly and allows them to grieve and somehow find some solace.
Just seen this video by Jeol the 3D Printing Nerd. Looks like the Telegraph article has some more info of relevance. 3 cans !!
However, again, how do they know he used 3 cans? Did he tell his family that’s what he was going to do? Seems more likely the Fire Service found 3 cans (all empty/destroyed of course, by the fire).