What Causes Electrical Fires?

Excessive heat and a spark are the true causes of electrical fires. These fires often burn out on their own but if they reach critical mass that starts to burn other fixtures and fittings within you home then the damage can be serious and of course life threatening. Below I have listed some of the most common households items and infrastructure that cause electric fires in the UK.

Domestic and commercial wiring systems that are more than 20 years old often cause electrical fires. This is because overtime the wiring casings, the fuze board and all of the different elements that make up your wiring system degrade. In addition to this many systems were not designed to have the amount of technology and gadgets that we have in our home today, so they struggle to keep up with modern electricity consumption. For more information take a look at our blog on home wiring.

Ungrounded plug sockets are likely to spark or form an electrical ark which results in an electrical fire. Even grounded outlets can start a fire if the wiring loosens over time. Fuze boards help to prevent firs from sockets by tripping the fuze and stopping the electricity flowing but they are no full proof. You should inspect all of your outlets once a year to check fo signs of wear and tear, soot or blackening.

Laddering extension cables or plugging multiple extension plugs together is a recipe for disaster. Never use multiple extension cables and make sure that they cables you are using are unto date and don’t show any signs of damage like browning of the plastic or tripping your fuses when you use them.

Laddering extension cables or plugging multiple extension plugs together is a recipe for disaster. Never use multiple extension cables and make sure that they cables you are using are unto date and don’t show any signs of damage like browning of the plastic or tripping your fuses when you use them.

Electric heaters heat up very quickly, the problem generally occurs when they are placed to close to fabric or other flammable items in your home. Left unattended they can start a fire.

1. Undertake an electrical inspection every 5 years to ensure that your electrical system  is safe.
2. Dispose of any electronics appliances with frayed or broken wires.
3. Install smoke detectors in your home – early warnings save lives.
4. Purchase a fire extinguisher and practise using it. Water doesn’t always work on an electrical fire so choose a CO2 extinguisher.

Thanks for reading our blog post on electrical fires, if you have nay questions feel free to contact us here or give us a call on 0800 029 547.