The family of four woke at 3am to smoke and flames and the unmistakable pitch of fire alarms. They all got out safely, including two pet dogs, but the home was a write-off. Had it not been for the local volunteer fire brigade arriving within seven or eight minutes, the fire would have spread to neighbouring homes in this quiet little Trafalgar court. Let’s take a moment to thank these incredible volunteers who risk their own lives for the benefit of our community.
The lady of the house was in bed at the end of a long day, doing some texting and catching up on her mobile phone. She fell asleep. The problem in this case was that the phone was being charged at the time and it is likely it became smothered in blankets or a pillow.
Lack of ventilation is a major contributing factor when batteries catch fire. Any battery in charge mode must have air movement; or danger lurks. Your writer knows this having lost a home to fire because of batteries being charged in too tight a space with poor airflow. It is a costly lesson to learn and such fires are more common than most of us realise.
Max Hill is a retired policeman who is now professionally involved in the fire insurance investigation business. Max has visited many homes lost to fire so Traf District News asked Max to give us some pointers about what we need to do to be safer. Max provided the following advice and next month this newspaper will go into this subject in much more detail, including talking to the local fire brigade, a look at insurance, and other issues around batteries and fire.
Power Boards: Max points out that most of us use power boards made very cheaply in China. If the connection from the lead you plug in to the brass receiving ports (which you can’t see) is loose, there is a real possibility of fire. A spark reaches 3,700 degrees and that is enough to melt plastic and start a fire. Answer: Consider better quality boards and stay safer.
Ceiling Fans: When a ceiling fan rattles it almost certainly means a bearing is worn. That can cause a very hot spark and start a fire, possibly in the ceiling where it might take longer to be noticed. Answer: if your fans rattle, replace them.
Extension Leads: Max told us about a lead that was plugged into a wall socket but not attached to any tool or device, but still it caused a house fire. Answer: unplug anything that is not in use.
Old Laptop: Max told us of a young man with a fifteen year old laptop which he placed under his bed when he went to sleep.The laptop was switched off but still it caused a fire, perhaps because the battery and connections were old and loose. Answer; be aware there are dangers even when a device is turned off. Answer: be aware old technology can be a fire hazard.
