I'm amazed.

[480sparky]

Never ceases to amaze me how firefighters can identify an electrical fire. And so quickly, too.....

 

[nolabama]

i hate the obligatory holiday fire story in every news paper in america - hope the family gets some help - btw did you wire that house 480

 

[480sparky]

i hate the obligatory holiday fire story in every news paper in america - hope the family gets some help - btw did you wire that house 480

Not to my recollection. My memory's not what it used to be.

But my fingerprints are on a lot of houses 'round town, so who knows?

Plus, my memory's not what it used to be.

 

[jeremysterling]

The boy shot himself earlier this year with grandma's pistol. With a history like this who knows if careless grandma left out some matches for the boys to play with also... nah, you're right, it has to be the electrical.

My favorite that I heard about on this forum: When the fire Chief was asked why the building burned down, he said there was no way to know because the power company had shut off the electric.

 

[480sparky]

.....My favorite that I heard about on this forum: When the fire Chief was asked why the building burned down, he said there was no way to know because the power company had shut off the electric.

The exact same thing happened here last summer. Abandonded farmhouse burned down, and FD was at a loss as to how it could have caught fire since it has had no power for years.

 

[peter d]

Well, the building had electricity so clearly the cause was electrical. :roll:

 

[stickboy1375]

Well, the building had electricity so clearly the cause was electrical. :roll:

Isnt that how every fire starts anyway? Unless of course a can of gasoline is found in the living room.

 

[electricguy61]

OK guys: I'm an ex-firefighter, and an EC. Not all fire departments are that bad

 

[peter d]

OK guys: I'm an ex-firefighter, and an EC. Not all fire departments are that bad

And I would never say they are. Obviously fire fighters perform a vital service to society. But the cause reporting leaves much to be desired in many cases.

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

I believe it has become so ingrained in people's minds fires are electrical, that firemen are looking for an electrical cause first, instead of being open minded about the cause.

 

[mdshunk]

I believe it has become so ingrained in people's minds fires are electrical, that firemen are looking for an electrical cause first, instead of being open minded about the cause.

There was one not even two miles from my house blamed on electrical in the newspaper, and I know for a fact that the drop to that building has been cut for years. Must have been static electricity.

 

[tkb]

I have seen on the the Boston TV news many times the reporter saying that the fire dept told them that a fire is electrical while it is still burning.

 

[480sparky]

OK guys: I'm an ex-firefighter, and an EC. Not all fire departments are that bad

I'm not bashing firefighters. I admire their willingness to run into a burning building while the rest of us would rather run out of it.

I'm just POd about the fact that the media is making electricity an evil that so easily destroys and kills.

By contrast, a rural home that is blown off it's foundation by an explosion takes a 2-year investigation to determine it was a build-up of propane in the basement.

 

[peter d]

If a building gets hit by lightning and catches fire, is the cause electrical?

 

[steelersman]

If a building gets hit by lightning and catches fire, is the cause electrical?

sure is. But they should specify that it was lightning so the general public doesn't assume it was wiring.

 

[480sparky]

If a building gets hit by lightning and catches fire, is the cause electrical?

Depends on what box the investigator checks on his report.

In my propane-explosion example, the cause was still determined to be electrical.... because it as an electrical spark in the furnace controls that ignited the gas.

 

[peter d]

sure is. But they should specify that it was lightning so the general public doesn't assume it was wiring.

Yes, exactly my point. If the cause is "electrical" they should specify the cause:

Premises wiring
Extension cord improperly used
Faulty appliance
Space heater
Faulty light fixture
etc etc

 

[steelersman]

Depends on what box the investigator checks on his report.

In my propane-explosion example, the cause was still determined to be electrical.... because it as an electrical spark in the furnace controls that ignited the gas.

If that was really called electrical as the cause then that is disturbing. The fire wasn't fueled by electricity. And it didn't start by electricity. So it shouldn't be called electrical, but rather gas explosion. That is as bad if not worse than fraud.

 

[480sparky]

Yes, exactly my point. If the cause is "electrical" they should specify the cause:

Premises wiring
Extension cord improperly used
Faulty appliance
Space heater
Faulty light fixture
etc etc

I remember years ago reading an NFPA book specifically about electrical fires.

They had it broken down into elec. fires caused by cords, bad breakers, improper installation of wires, etc.

It also had a section where they were also broken down by who did the work that was involved.... electricians, HOs, linemen, etc.

I wish I could find that book, or at least remember the title, but sadly over the years I think it grew legs and walked away.

 

[SEO]

Even though most fires that are blamed on electrical are not electrical at all, on the flip side it might scare people enough to give us more work for preventive electrical analysis. Have to look at the "BRIGHT SIDE":smile: