Bulb melting from socket

[ehzool]

So I woke up this morning to a loud noise and noticed my bearded dragon's light wasn't on. Turns out the bulb melted from its socket and inside the fixture, it was all burnt or corroded.

How did this happen? I was using a 100W bulb in a fixture that says it can handle up to 250W.
I've been using the same bulb/fixture for over 5 months and this finally happens. It's scary because I don't want my house to catch on fire next time. What was I doing wrong?

 

[Claudiusx]

Sudden temp changes can occasionally cause a bulb to burst, especially an incandescent bulb (which looks like what you were using)

So say the bulb was around 50 degrees or so from being off all night. Then it turns on and heats up pretty quickly, this thermoshock can be enough to blow the bulb.

The bulb doesn't look melted to me, it just looks like it blew at its weak spot, between the bottom cap and the glass part of the bulb.

-Brandon