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We had a traded-in record player in the shop one time, a cheapie 'portable' with crystal cartridge, 50C5, 35W4 and motor winding in series with the heaters, and no fuse. Filter cap was a typical cardboard tubular 50/30-150V, and it was overheating. Since the phono was basically junk anyhow, the decision was made to give it the run-to-destruct test. In 15-20 minutes or so the cap was bubbling and smoking, and then caught fire, the flame augmented by the waxed cardboard. The 'fusible' link in the 35W4 never let go.
And to think if that were in someone's house and left running unattended.
And there was that big flap with RCA CTC-25 color sets whose AC switches were catching fire and a few houses even got burned down. (Possibly some CTC-16s and 17s were involved, but much more rarely.) There was a big field refit program where the factory sent all service dealers refit switches that couldn't arc. We refitted a mess of 'em preemptively.
It can never be over-emphasized: Never, ever leave a vintage color set, B&W set, radio, or even a phono running unattended. Not even for a minute.
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