Preventable Fire Stories

Monday. Heat buildup in an extension cord plugged into a light fixture within a storage unit started the fire at Metro Self Storage, 94-1355 Waipi’o Uka St. Damage was estimated at $15,000 to the storage unit structure and $2,000 to contents.

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My power strip would have shut off that light, possibly cooling the extension cord and it also might have summoned attention to the problem quicker.  But you have to wonder why a light at a self storage facility would need an extension cord.

Fire Chief Gerald Lilley says the family noticed the fire about 5:00 A.M., and barely got out in time. He says firefighters from Dresden and three other towns had no chance to save the home.

The chief says the fire apparently started from an overheated extension cord connected to the microwave oven.

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Probably a bad setup, which would be difficult to address by a point detector such as my SmokeShutoff power strip.  Blogging anyway, for statistics.

Fire Chief Dave Lacy tells us the Red Cross is assisting the family of Leon and Jaqcue Gaiters and their four children after flames tore through their home on 527 Gray Street in Zanesville Thursday night.

“Apparently it originated in a defective extension cord that lit some bedding on fire. They were on scene there for about an hour and that fire caused about an estimated $10,000 in damage,” said Lacy.
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Above, Ashland Fire Department Capt. Chris Vanhesteren views the damage Wednesday after firefighters put out a house fire at 206 Ashland Avenue, below. DANIEL MELOGRANA/NEWS JOURNAL

According to Fire Prevention Capt. Mark Miller, the fire at 206 Ashland Ave. was discovered just after 1 p.m. by a passerby and a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier, who saw smoke coming from the structure.

Miller determined the fire was caused by a short in an electrical extension cord that fed the television set in the living room. He said the fire heavily damaged that room and caused extensive smoke damage, leaving the small home a total loss “for the most part.”

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See the video on my webpage for how the Smoke Shutoff power strip can be installed high enough on the wall behind a TV to catch smoldering before flames erupt, and shut the whole thing off.

Historic barn, horses saved; blaze ruled accidental

Sunday, March 02, 2008By SARA K. SATULLO

The Express-Times

FRANKLIN TWP.| A fire at the former Apple Valley Farm on Friday night destroyed a chicken coop, a storage barn and an outbuilding, killing 105 chickens.

But the main barn filled with horses and a historic farmhouse were saved.

He said the fire has been ruled an accident. It appeared to have started when an extension cord powering electric heat lamps and heaters in the chicken coop overheated.

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BY CHRIS A. COUROGEN

Of The Patriot-News300 block of Evergreen Street

“They had one extension cord plugged into the outlet and multiple extension cords plugged into it. It was not a good setup,” said Dan Hartman, Harrisburg Bureau of Fire battalion chief.

One of the overloaded cords shorted out shortly before 4 p.m., starting a fire that caused about $20,000 in damage to the five-rowhome building, Hartman said.

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The landlord had not inspected the property recently and was unaware of the extension cord setup, Hartman said.

“They should be making sure their occupants aren’t doing something that can cause a fire,” Hartman said.

Landlords need to inspect.  My power strip could make the setups even safer, as long as you don’t have tenants determined to use an unsafe setup.

BEDFORD — A fire that likely destroyed a home in Vinegar Hill Addition Tuesday was the result of a faulty extension cord.

…more at LINK
Shawswick Township Volunteer Fire Department fire investigator Brandon Robertson and a fire investigator from the insurance company determined the fire was caused by a faulty extension cord that was across the floor in the back room, Robertson stated in a news release.

My power strip can shut off power to smoldering cords.  Plus it detects shorts in the cord.

A Lexington couple was forced from their home early Tuesday morning after a fire roared through their bedroom.
Firefighters were called to Meadow Lane around 2 a.m. after the couple inside the home noticed smoke and flames in a bedroom. They got out safely, and firefighters quickly got the flames under control.

Sara Denhart
Kentucky News Desk

A Carrollton man received third-degree burns after the recreational vehicle he was living in caught fire during the night.Tharp said the camper, which was located near Baker Auto Salvage, was an older travel camper. He said the cause of the fire was either a space heater being placed too close to combustible items or the overheating of extension cords that were connected to the two space heaters Egerton had in his home.

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A dangerous arrangement. My power strip can’t stop all the fires when devices are used inappropriately, but it can prevent some of them when the devices are used correctly and still something goes wrong.

Posted by Rick Isaias KDBC 4 News

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I don’t know what kind of setup you have where you need an extension cord for your toaster, but my power strip might have prevented this fire.