Burnt Vacuum

When I got home from class this morning, I decided to clean up our apartment. I organized and put away clutter that was sitting out, I washed the dishes, and I wiped down all the counters in the kitchen and bathroom.
My whimsical roommate Courtney walked in and made a comment that it smelled like "burnt vacuum" outside. I tried to imagine what that smelled like, but then just shrugged it off.

Since our broom has gone missing, I decided to vacuum the kitchen, and then the hallway and our room. I plugged in the vacuum and turned it on. It worked for about ten seconds; then, all of a sudden, our vacuum from hell emitted a spark and a *poof!* and a copious amount of smoke frothed out of its jaws like some rabid animal.

I now know what burnt vacuum smells like.