Two fires over the weekend caused by overheated electrical cords
Sunday fire in Green Lake - Photo by John Odegard
On Sunday, March 14, just after 4 p.m. firefighters responded to a reported fire at 7214 Woodlawn Ave NE in the Green Lake neighborhood. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from a one story commercial building with adjacent commercial buildings on either side of the fire. Firefighters made an aggressive attack on the fire and worked to protect the adjacent businesses. Their fast work kept the flames and fire contained to one business. There were no people inside and there were no injuries. Firefighters determined this was an accidental fire caused by an overheated power cord and damage was estimated at $130,000.
Damage from a room fire that occured in early this morning in Northgate
Early this morning, firefighters responded to a room fire in a duplex located at 1128 North 91st Street in the Northgate neighborhood. Firefighters contained the fire to the room of origin and the occupant got out safely, but the fire still caused $35,000 worth of damage. Fire Investigators determined that the fire was accidental, caused by an overheated power cord.
- Never overload extension cords or wall sockets and never run cords under rugs or place in high traffic areas.
- There should only be one surge protector or power strip plugged into a single duplex electrical outlet.
- Power strips vary in their capacity but should only be used for items that require light loads such as computers, printers and clocks, for example. They are not made to handle refrigerators or portable heaters.
- If the extension cord or power strip feels hot to the touch, replace it.
- Do not connect one extension cord or power strip to another. Also known as “daisy chaining.”
- Make sure the power strip has been tested by an independent testing agency such as Underwriters Laboratory (UL) or the Electrical Testing Laboratories (ETL).
Posted: March 15th, 2010 under Battalion 6 (NE Seattle), Fire Line, Fire Prevention, Fires, Public Education.