My modem started to make a strange noise and it stopped the connection but then reconnected.
Then smoke started to come out of it
Unplugged it and then felt it was very hot underneath.
It is a dial up modem, that we have had for several years,
It was very lucky that I was on mumsnet and so therefore right next to it.
If DS had been using it he may not have realised until smoke was really bad, it was smelling horrible after we had picked it up.