Electrical Intake Positions Fire Concern

The Electrical Safety Council reported recently on their increasing concern over fires in homes which originate in electrical intake positions and have in some cases caused serious damage and deaths.

A Hampshire coroner wrote to a series of organisations, including ESC, asking of their intentions regarding the prevention of such deaths after an inquest revealed that the death of an elderly resident was caused by a fire which originated at the electrical intake position in the property.

The coroner in this case also brought attention to an incident which occurred the previous year from similar problems. A report produced by the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service detailed the results of an investigation into the cause of this fire and a number of others in similar properties which started in the area around the electrical intake equipment.

The results of the investigation concluded that the likely cause of these fires was the resistance heating at deteriorating cable terminations and fuse contacts.

The number of these types of fires occurring yearly is fairly small, however those that do, pose a real threat to lives because of the circumstances, how these fires occur and the location of the electrical intake equipment.

ESC say that whilst electrical equipment is designed to contain such things like the thermal effects of faults, they can still ignite things close to the equipment.

Written by Sara Thomson