Oh, forgot.... It sounds more like the element ni-cjromeni-cj ←spellwreck... nichrome had a flaw, if you can't imagine what shorted out.
The PW units are FAR more robust than the liquid types. The caps turning color from heat not unusual. Neither are cracks etc. really. (after seeing aa couple of melted tops from B.S. copies not in high heat plastic or teflon, I like to stick to the metal tops.