Midway fire dept called to small electrical fire

Firefighters in Midway responded to a small electrical fire near the village Tuesday, Nov. 23.

Mike Daloise, Chief at Midway Fire and Rescue (MFR), said the department was called to a home on the 3400-block of Rexin Road at around 9 p.m., shortly after a power surge protector caught fire inside the residence. A man living in the home quickly unplugged the device, leaving only scorch marks on a nearby wall as he took the burnt-out carcass outside.

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“It could’ve been a lot worse had he not been at home at the time,” Daloise said.

The power surge protector, more commonly known as a power bar, was certified by the independent product safety testing organization, Underwriters Laboratories (UL). It was properly plugged into the wall and was powering home electronics.

People living in the home told firefighters they’d heard “electronic crackling sounds” shortly before the fire started. A thermal image scan meanwhile showed that the fire hadn’t spread beyond the plug-in.

MFR didn’t receive any other related calls Tuesday night, Daloise said. FortisBC said Thursday there had been no area surges on its hydroelectric grid.

Daloise is recommending that people use UL-approved power surge protectors. It is not uncommon for devices to spark of catch fire after a surge.

“They’re designed to protect electronics,” he said, adding that Tuesday night’s fire could’ve been worse had there not been a surge protector.

Next, Daloise is warning that people not use extension cords as long-term power sources. Extension cords are designed to be used for short intervals and should be properly coiled and hung up after use, he said.

The Gazette was awaiting comment from FortisBC when this story was published online.

@ltritsch1
laurie.tritschler@grandforksgazette.ca
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