The wrong wire: which electrical appliances cause a fire

In the Chelyabinsk region, a robot vacuum cleaner left on charge started a fire in an apartment. The owners set the device to charge overnight, as a result of which things and furniture in the apartment caught fire. However, various electrical appliances cause fires in the homes of Russians quite regularly – as Izvestia found out, more than 1400 fires have been registered since the beginning of the year, which occurred due to the ignition of household electrical appliances. At the same time, almost half of them arose due to the ignition of household electric heating appliances. In other cases, fires were caused by refrigerators, electric water heaters, and electric stoves, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said. Details – in the material “Izvestia”.

Where did they not expect

The other day in the city of Ashe, Chelyabinsk region, a family with a five-year-old child was injured in a fire in a five-story building. According to the preliminary version, the fire occurred due to the emergency operation of electrical equipment – the owners of the apartment left the robot vacuum cleaner to charge overnight.

– The incident took place in an apartment on the fourth floor of a residential building. Things and furniture there caught fire at night. The landlords and their five-year-old daughter suffered first-degree burns. With the help of spaskomplekta firefighters took 16 people out of the entrance, including two children. Another 15 tenants were evacuated on their own, – reported in the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the region.

However, according to the department, electrical appliances regularly cause fires. As Izvestia was told in the press service of the Main Directorate of the EMERCOM of Russia in the Chelyabinsk Region, over the past year, 1417 fires were registered in the region due to violations of the rules for the construction and operation of electrical equipment (11% of the total number of fires that occurred). Since the beginning of the year, for this reason, 530 fires have been registered (22% of the total number of fires that have occurred). The most flammable household appliances, the ministry said, are electric heaters, computers and washing machines.

In the same month, a washing machine also caused a fire in Bratsk (Irkutsk region). As it was established during the pre-investigation check, the fire started in the bathroom, where the washing machine was installed. According to the man living in the apartment, in the evening he did not use the washing machine, the equipment did not work, but was connected to the power grid. The tenants of the apartment were in the next room. When they smelled smoke, they tried to extinguish the fire on their own, but could not and left the apartment. According to the data of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the region, the most likely cause of the fire was the thermal manifestation of electric current during the emergency operation of the electrical wiring.

Top potentially dangerous

As Izvestia was told in the press service of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, in 2020, in general, country more than 5 thousand fires were registered, which occurred due to the ignition of household electrical appliances. More than 1400 fires this year.

– At the same time, almost half of them arose due to the ignition of household electric heating appliances. In other cases, refrigerators, electric water heaters, and electric stoves were the cause of fires, the department noted.

IN first of all, it is electric heating devices that pose a danger – these include kettles, stoves, electric heaters, reported “Izvestia” expert in the field of fire safety, chief specialist of the design department of low-current systems of the SC “Olympproekt” Alexander Glushchenko…

– The next in danger are electric lighting devices – chandeliers, floor lamps, if they are not LED. And only the third group is ordinary household appliances (for example, televisions, computers), – the interlocutor of Izvestia notes.

The most fire hazardous are devices with significant current consumption, says Konstantin Kuznetsov, a leading expert of the Fire Safety Fund.

– Appliances such as thermal electric fans, hair dryers, electric kettles, toasters, microwave ovens consume a lot of current. In this regard, due to incorrect connection or malfunction of the device itself, there is the possibility of a short circuit. For comparison, telephone charging (or, in principle, charging for any device) consumes very little current.

However, they can also start a fire. According to Alexander Glushchenko, charging paired with the devices themselves can cause a fire if they were purchased on gray markets without appropriate checks by Rostest. How it happens: the charging block of the phone gives a greater load than provided by the phone itself, because of which the gadget can simply heat up and explode, he says.

However, once again, one should not leave even branded chargers in the outlet, since the load on the network is in any case, said Sergey Pobedonostsev, project manager of integrated security systems, in a conversation with Izvestia. Especially when it comes to far from new homes. “If the house is old, the wiring is old, then charging, especially of poor quality, can become a kind of catalyst and lead to a fire. The service life of the wiring is 25 years, after which all wiring must be replaced. However, as a rule, many do not do this, so even such a thing as charging can cause a fire, ”he said.

How to protect yourself and your home

There are several signs by which you can identify a potentially fire hazardous electrical appliance. First, they include the appearance of a specific smell, which in everyday life is often called the “smell of electrical wiring.”

– The second is flickering in the area of ​​this electrical appliance. During the day, these sparks may not be visible, but at night they are very noticeable. And the third is a violation of the integrity of the housing of an electrical appliance: this is also a very characteristic sign that a short circuit can occur in it, – emphasizes Konstantin Kuznetsov.

It is also worth periodically touching the outlet to which the device is connected, adds Alexander Glushchenko.

– If you feel heating, then you should pay attention either to this device or to the quality of the outlet. Ideally, in this case, it is necessary to turn off the device and take it to a service for inspection. It is also worth calling an electrician to check the outlet itself. It is definitely not worth postponing in this matter.

Do not forget about the simplest rules for operating electrical appliances – you cannot overload the sockets, stick in tees and extension cords, especially those bought on the market or in the transition, emphasizes Sergei Pobedonostsev.

– Cheap wiring products, in principle, can themselves cause a fire due to poor-quality wire and plastic, – he notes – There are also things to think about beforehand. For example, it would be nice to install an autonomous fire and security alarm at home. It is also worth having a fire extinguisher. Let’s be honest, not every home has it, although it is really worth taking care of this and purchasing either a powder or water-based fire extinguisher.

At the same time, experts emphasize, it is also necessary to know the algorithm of actions in the event of a fire in an electrical appliance (especially if there is still no fire extinguisher at home). Firstly, electrical appliances plugged into the outlet should never be watered. On the burning device, you can throw some dense fabric, preferably not synthetic, but natural, and try to de-energize this device. And, of course, call the fire department.