Home fires are a very common occurrence. In many cases, these occur due to electrical malfunctions or a malfunction of an electrical device. Other times, it happens because of the wrong usage of the electrical system in a home. In fact, electrical fires are one of the leading causes of property fire damage. According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), there are nearly 45,000 homes every year experience damage due to electrical fires, which result in over 500 casualties, 1, 400 injuries, and $1.5 billion of damage to properties.
The damage caused by an electrical fire can be very devastating. Not only you have to deal with extreme cleanup, but restoring your home and its contents may require expensive repairs. Take steps to prevent this from happening in your home by understanding the causes of electrical fires and what steps to take to protect your home.
What Causes Electrical Fires At Home
Faulty Electrical Outlets
Most electrical fires in homes happen due to faulty electrical outlets Overtime, outlets and switches get worn and damaged. In some cases, fires begin in homes due to old or frayed appliances cords and self-joined wires. These damaged cords can send heat to combustible materials like rugs, carpet, floors, and curtains.
Light Fixtures
Another common reason for electrical fires in homes are loading light fixtures with lamps or bulbs that are too large. When a bulb installed is higher than its permissible wattage, it can lead to overheating of the fixtures and causing the socket and the wire insulation to melt. When this happens, you are putting yourself at risk for arc faults or worse, fire damage.
Extension Cords For Appliances
Extension cords are very convenient when it comes to bringing power to your electrical devices. But using them without proper precautions can become a major fire hazard. Using extension cords should only be a temporary use. They are not meant to be used for plugging in devices permanently. Furthermore, plugging in multiple devices (for instance, TV, computer, home theater, and others) to an extension cord can cause them to handle too much load and eventually start a fire.
Overloaded Circuits
The common signs of overloaded circuits are a frequent trip of breakers and flickering lights. In general, a breaker trips to prevent overheating which can cause a fire. But often, people will just simply reset the tripped breakers. This will just put constant strain on the breakers and slowly become damaged, which can lead to a fire.
Outdated or Old Electrical Systems
Over time, you install more and more electrical devices in your home such as refrigerators, home theater, air conditioners, and others. Yet, you haven’t upgraded your electrical systems. Your outdated electrical wiring may not have the capacity to handle the increased power load of your electrical devices. If this is the case, your old wiring will heat up quickly and cause an electrical fire.
How To Prevent Electrical Fires At Home
While it is important to know the causes of electrical fires at home, it is also important to take steps to prevent them from happening in the first place. To protect your home from electrical fires, follow these steps.
1. Inspect electrical plugs and cords regularly to reduce the risk of electrical fires.
2. Never use frayed or worn wires, cords, or plugs. Instead, discard them.
3. Only use light bulbs that match the recommended wattage capacity of the fixture.
4. Never use extension cords with heating equipment or major appliances. They should only be used for temporary use.
5. Do not overload electrical outlets. If you need additional circuits, consult an electrician.
6. Be watchful for any warning signs of electrical malfunctions such as flickering lights, circuit breakers that often trip or fuses that frequently blow. Another sign of an electrical malfunction is the burning smell every time you plug in an electrical device. Contact a professional technician immediately.
We use electricity as a part of our daily lives in our homes and at our places of business. Yet we often take for granted how powerful electricity is. Fortunately the number of electrical fires are decreasing overall, but they still account for one third of all residential fires.
The following facts outline a few points of what you need to know to keep yourself, and your family safe. Electrical fires involve the flow of electric current or static electricity and are often caused by electrical system failures, appliance defects, incorrectly installed wiring, misuse and poor maintenance of electrical appliances, and overloaded circuits and extension cords. Electrical fires often spread further and cause more injuries than other types of fires. That is because electrical fires that start in walls can smolder longer and spread within the walls traveling a great distance throughout the structure completely undetected.
Over the last thirty years, our homes have been drastically transformed by electrical devices which can easily overburden older homes’ electrical network with dated wiring systems. Thus these homes are at a higher risk of electrical fires. However, any home can become at risk for electrical fires with aged wire insulation, loosened connections, worn out receptacles or switches and dirty electrical components which are more likely to overheat. The key to keeping your family safe is awareness, smoke alarms with fresh batteries, having an evacuation plan, fire extinguishers and home maintenance.
Although electrical fires are common, they are often used as a scapegoat when determining the causation
of the fire, simply because electrical components are there. Circuit wiring, ceiling fans, and light fixtures are often misinterpreted as being the causation of the fire for the following reasons. Ceiling fans and light fixtures are often located on the ceiling and are therefore exposed to a great deal of heat and flames. These fixtures are often charred, but are not necessarily the source of the fire’s ignition. Electrical wiring that is often found to be melted in moderate to severe fires could have only been caused by extreme temperatures, arcing, and alloying. Fire temperatures great enough to melt copper wiring are rare in fires with minor to moderate damage so finding melted copper wiring could be a potential read flag. Melted wiring due to arcing does not necessarily mean the fire’s ignition was electrical in nature as a fire can result in arcing between two conductors.
Alloying is the most encountered condition and is often the most misunderstood by fire investigators. Alloying is often confused with melting due to extreme temperature and arcing.
It is important to determine which of these conditions caused the identified melting and why that condition was found at the scene.
The experienced fire scientists, engineers, and technical investigators at Forensic Analysis & Engineering collectively have over 100 years of fire investigative experience.