7 Most Common Causes of Electrical Fires
7 Most Common Causes of Electrical Fires
More than 1 in 20 house fires are electrical fires. Virtually all electrical fires and related deaths can be prevented if proper safety measures are followed. The first step to prevention is knowing what can cause these fires in the first place. Here are the seven most common causes:
1. Space Heaters
Space heaters are popular during the wintertime. While they are a convenient source of comfort, they can easily cause harm if people do not use them properly. Things usually go awry when people try to put the space heater on top of or right next to something flammable. Space heaters should never be placed close to furniture, carpets or clothes. In general, radiator-type space heaters are safer than coil ones.
2. Frayed Cords
Appliances with old, frayed cords are a common source of electrical fires. Problems often occur when people try to use an old appliance and lay the cord across curtains, a carpet, or other flammable surfaces. If a cord has started to show some wear and tear, it is time to replace that appliance. It is worth it to spend money on a new toaster oven rather than risk lives when the old toaster catches the house on fire.
3. Misused Light Bulbs
Fires frequently occur when people use the wrong kind of light bulb. Lamps are designed to take light bulbs up to a certain wattage. Using anything above the maximum wattage is asking for danger. Many house fires can be avoided by simply making sure that purchased light bulbs are appropriate for the intended appliance. Another mistake people make with lamps is putting materials like cloth or paper on top of them. This is an extremely hazardous practice because the lightbulb can easily catch the cloth or paper on fire.
4. Not Using Outlets
Extension cords are convenient, especially when there are a lot of things to charge. However, people misuse extension cords all the time. One should never plug large appliances into an extension cord, especially for long periods. These need to be plugged into an outlet in the wall. Extension cords are one of the reasons that house fires are so common during the holiday season. People use them to plug in extra appliances, decorations and lights, and they do not follow proper safety measures.
5. Not Replacing Old Outlets
There are several signs that indicate when an outlet needs to be replaced. One sign is having difficulty plugging in cords or getting cords to stay into the outlet. This indicates that the outlet is too loose. Another sign that an outlet is getting old is unreliability. In other words, if the outlet only seems to work some of the time, there is likely a problem with connectivity. In order to avoid fires, old outlets need to be either replaced or fixed by an electrician. The longer the problem is ignored, the more likely it is to cause a dangerous house fire.
6. Old Homes
Old buildings often have outdated wiring that was not made to handle the amount of electricity people use today. House fires can occur when people push an old wiring system beyond its abilities. The solution is to replace the old wiring with an updated system that can handle all the high-powered appliances, devices and electrical decorations that pervade modern life. When getting a house re-wired, it is crucial to get a qualified electrician who knows what he or she is doing. A house with badly done wiring is like a ticking time bomb.
7. Leaving Cords in Pets and Children’s Reach
Many pets like to chew on cords. Some dogs chew on anything they can get their teeth on. Rabbits instinctively chew cords as they would chew vines in the wild. Cords should never be left in the reach of pets that are known to chew. This is common sense, but many pets get electrocuted and many house fires are started when people let their pets wander unsupervised around electrical appliances. Extra vigilance is needed during the holiday season when curious pets like to get into the lights and decorations. Toddlers are also known to play with and chew on cords, so they should always be supervised in any room where electronics are plugged in.
House fires can be avoided by taking the proper precautions. Don’t put your home and loved ones in harms way. You can also be prepared in the event of an electrical fire by having a fire extinguisher in your household. A multipurpose ABC Dry chemical fire extinguisher can handle electrical fires from energized sources (Class C) as well as trash, paper, wood (Class A), gas and liquids (Class B). If you don’t have a fire extinguisher in your home or business you can call Fire Ranger today.
Caryl Anne Crowne is a contributing writer and media specialist for Mr. Electric. She often produces content for a variety of electrical blogs.
