Electrical Fire Safety

9/1/2023 (Permalink)

Faulty wiring or overloaded electrical panels have caused many structural fires!

Electrical fires can not only catch us off guard, but can also be tricky to deal with. There are warning signs that you may be at risk for an electrical fire. Knowing the signs to look for can help protect you from an electrical fire disaster.

The warning signs include:

• Circuit breakers that repeatedly trip
• Shocks or tingling feelings as you touch an electrical appliance
• Flickering lights
• Discolored electrical wall outlets
• A burning smell of smoke or “hot plastic” coming from wiring, a plug or an appliance

If you happen to experience an electrical fire, there are steps to take to help lessen the damage, as well as help keep you and your family safe.

• Take action with an appliance by unplugging it immediately and cutting the power at the electrical panel.
• Pay attention to the voltage of the appliance you are plugging in.
• Use a Fire Extinguisher, or smother with baking soda if no Fire Extinguisher handy on a smaller fire

NEVER try to extinguish an electrical fire with water. Water conducts electricity and you could be badly shocked. 

If you have electrical fire damage we can help you at SERVPRO®. We will come out and assess the damage for you. Then we can get to work to make it like it never even happened.