Preventable Fire Stories

Motor for dehumidification.  My SmokeShutoff power strip would have shut it off and emitted an alarm.

Bethlehem Hot Motor Starts Fire, Damages Apollo Metals

Nov 4, 2008

An intense and smoky fire Sunday night caused heavy damage at a Bethlehem metal finishing plant.

The fire call came in shortly before 7 p.m. at Apollo Metals, 944 14th Ave., Bethlehem Fire Marshal Robert Novatnack said. No one was injured.

When fire crews arrived, Novatnack said, heavy smoke was pouring out of all openings in the building.

The fire was caused by an overheated motor used to help keep moisture out of a room where metal coils are stored, Novatnack said.

Novatnack said the company could not yet provide a damage estimate. He ruled the fire accidental.

LINK

The motor sounds like a dehumidifier to me.  Either way, if it was plugged into my power strip, the power strip would have shut the device off at the first sign of smoke and emitted a 90 dB alarm, possibly preventing this plant shutdown.  Their insurance carrier could have avoided a big claim here.

That’s another appliance we leave plugged in.   Those things are big heat sources.  In a basement, just mount my power strip above it to shut it off at the first sign of smoke.

Importance Of Working Smoke Alarms

Reporting
Ukee Washington

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― With the arrival of Daylight Savings Time this coming weekend, many will be eager to set their clocks back one hour, but do not neglect your smoke detector.

CBS 3 Anchor Ukee Washington spoke to a local family who experienced first-hand of having fresh batteries and a working smoke detector.

Fire was not the first thing the Hageman family thought of when they heard their smoke detector go off.

“Occasionally insects will get into it, like a spider, so I just said, ‘Oh, another spider,’” Marie Hageman said.

But when Marie went to reset the alarm, she was in for a surprise.

“So came down here, went to check this one and was just overcome by smoke, total blackness smoke,” she said.

An overheated dehumidifier started an electrical fire in the basement.

“I used the UL approved appliance, I made sure I use UL approved extension cords and the circuit was not overloaded, I tried to do everything the fire experts tell us to do,” Marie’s mother Anna said.

More at LINK

October 21, 2007

By Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman
BART TOWNSHIP - A dehumidifier caught fire Saturday in the 5100 block of White Oak Road bringing out 16 pieces of apparatus, including two medical units. The one-alarm dwelling fire was called at 1:42 p.m. Bart Fire Company was first responding. Assisting Bart was Christiana, Gap, Kinzers, Paradise and Quarryville Fire Companies. Bart and Christiana also both provided medical units.