Burnet fire marshal issues alert after extension cord mishaps
CONNIE SWINNEY • STAFF WRITER
BURNET — Two fires related to extension cords have prompted public safety officials to send out a warning about proper use of heating devices as well as the cords.
The Burnet Fire Department responded to two incidents — one in January and one in February — connected to improper use of extension cords.
“Two fires in the last two months I’ve had are from extension cords; light-weight style cords that were running high-amp equipment,” Burnet Fire Marshal John Paul Erskine said. “They weren’t meant for that, and they fail. Then, they catch on fire.”
The most recent incident on Feb. 25 involved a mobile home in the 100 block of Valley Drive.
“It was a violent fire. When we got there, it was almost on the ground. It burned rapidly,” he said. “The homeowner got out with his dog and stated that the fire was from one end to the other within three or four minutes after he witnessed it initially in the bathroom.”
Fire investigators said the homeowner provided clues that pinpointed the source of the blaze.
“He stated that he had left a heater on and that it was running off an extension cord,” Erskine said. “We are suspecting it cooked the extension cord and caught the bathroom on fire and progressed rapidly.”
Three other agencies assisted with the blaze.
The January fire occurred at a residence on North Main Street.
“The exact same scenario took place. A woman was running a heater with an extension cord,” Erskine said. “The plug was behind the couch, and she wanted the heater in front of her.”
The fire ignited a portion of the couch and resulted in heavy smoke and furniture damage.
“Extension cords are dangerous because they’re made for temporary service for electricity for a piece of equipment,” he said.
Erskine offered the following tips to avoid fire dangers when using heating devices and extension cords:
- plug in heaters and other devices directly into outlets;
- keep 36 inches of space around and above the equipment;
- seek a heater with a built-in tipping shutoff feature;
- and avoid using extension cords for high-amp appliances and devices (i.e. air conditioners, refrigerators and heaters).
“On power strips, which are those devices that are meant to turn one plug into five plugs, any of those can be dangerous because they’re meant for low-wattage equipment,” Erskine said. “They were invented for computers (and related devices).
“Even though they have some protection inside of them, they still melt and cause fires when they are improperly used,” he added.
connie@thepicayune.com