Electrical fires more frequent during winter months

With electrical fires typically increasing during the winter months, it’s important to know some common causes and how to keep homes and families safe.

Many electrical fires occuring during this time of year are because of the misuse of electrical cords and appliances, according to Cape Girardeau Fire Department interim fire chief Randy Morris. One of the most common causes of electrical fires is from improper use of space heaters.

“With colder weather, people like to have their little personal heater or something like that,” Morris said, “and what will happen is, over time using those, someone will inadvertently leave combustible items close to the heater itself. Once that happens, it can actually heat up to the point where it catches on fire. If it’s near a piece of furniture or other items that will burn very easily, that’s where we would see a quick turnaround in the flame spread and, ultimately, the house catches on fire.”

Morris said the department often deals with fires caused by overloaded circuits, and wiring not being the proper gauge.

“For example, during Christmastime when people are doing their holiday lights and decorating, they’ll overload a circuit,” Morris said. “A plug-in in your home can be on a certain circuit that can be supplying several other things in your home, and if you overload those, that could cause a fire.

“Also, you’ve got to make sure you’re using the proper gauge wiring. A little bit bigger wiring will support the load of, for example, Christmas lights or something like that. Some people will tend to use the smaller style cords, so you need to be conscious of type of equipment that you’re using and make sure that cord is graded for what you’re going to be using it for.”

Another way a circuit can overload is from the improper use of surge protectors.

“We’ve seen those before, where we’ll have Christmas lights plugged into those where they’re piggybacked on top of each other three or four. That is a extreme example of what not to do, because that could be an overload, especially with the wiring. Then you could have metal heat up and break down, and then you could have a fire.”

In order to avoid an electrical fire, Morris recommends making sure keeping everything up to date, reading manufacturer’s recommendations on any appliance or cord you may use and ensuring your outlets aren’t damaged.

“Behind the wall, there could be a problem that you don’t typically see,” Morris said. “If you’re plugging in a cord to loose lids, you may want to take the cover off and see if things are properly secured. I understand the point that most people don’t want to be shocked or anything. In that case, if you see a major problem, I encourage everyone to contact an electrician to make sure that everything’s working the way it should.”