Why did our USB port explode? – Anxiety about wiring

We’re setting up our office space about 1 month after a gut renovation was finished in our apt. We got a new printer, for which I installed the software and did a test page with no problem. Then my husband goes to do the same thing on his machine, but when he inserted the USB cord into the port as directed, it burst into flames and melted, and instantly the circuit for that end of the apt tripped. The computers still worked when we put the electricity back on, but we really want to know what could have caused this since no one that I’ve talked to has ever heard of something like this happening before.

Can anyone reading this shed some light on what would make a usb cord/port explode like that? Is there something wrong with our new wiring? Did our new heavy-duty surge protectors do what they were supposed to? Do we need new computer equipment or a new electrician?

By kiddo |