Physical Safety-Fires

Which one has the most possibility can cause Electrical Fire?

• Plug multiple devices into one single main outlet

• Water damage

• Smoke

• Hold a heavy equipment

Overloading is a notable physical mechanism of electrical fire. The main reason for overloading is that the flowing current exceeds the maximum current carrying capacity of the wire or cable (Li 2010; Lau 1997; Wong 2011). Temperature will rise and cause overheating. When overloading occurs, the surrounding materials may melt due to excessive thermal insulation, or even ejection of hot particles if heat emitted from the wire is much higher than the melting point of the material, fire can be resulted.

Which case is related to the above literature？

• Too many devices plugged into a single mains outlet

• Leave devices plugged into unattended for long time

• Covering air vent on devices

According to Gosland (1956), the probability of causing fire by wiring which has been used for more than 15 years is roughly proportional to the age of installation.

This indicates that the longer the period the wire is installed, the higher the incidence rate of fire. A possible reason is that conductors used for a long time would allow less electrons to pass through, so the maximum current carrying capacity of the wiring will be decreased year by year, resulting in similar case of improper cable sizing or

overheating.

According to the above literature, which is the best solution?

• Make sure your room has plenty main outlets

• Do not cover air vents of devices

• Turn off and unplug devices if you are not use them for a long time

Andy's home doesn't have enough charging sockets, so he only uses one socket to connect all the large electrical appliances in the house. This can easily lead to a fire. But what is the reason?

• Too many devices plugged into a single mains outlet

• leave devices plugged into unattended for a long time

• Covering air vent on devices

• Exposed wires

After investigation, it was found that the cause of the fire was a mobile phone charger that had not been unplugged from the power strip, which led to an electrical fire. At the end of March 2022, a homeowner in Hezhou, Guangxi, forgot to unplug the charger when they went out. Shortly after leaving, flames appeared in the house. Within just a few minutes, the fire rapidly spread and ignited a large number of combustibles in the home.

What was the cause of the fire?

• Too many devices plugged into a single mains outlet

• Leave devices plugged into unattended for long time

• Covering air vent on devices

The experimenters of Yangzhou Fire Rescue Brigade purchased two types of dryers for experiment. From the appearance, these two dryers are no different from the simple clothes hangers used in the home, but the hangers are covered with a high-density cloth cover to gather heat and keep warm. In addition, a hole is opened at the bottom of the cloth cover to place the dryer's heater. The heater power of both dryers is one kilowatt, with a simple structure, only one heating wire and a cooling fan. Although both machines are equipped with timers, the heating power cannot be adjusted.

What was the cause of the fire?

• Too many devices plugged into a single mains outlet

• Leave devices plugged into unattended for long time

• Covering aire vent on devices

Xiao Ming was watching TV at home when he found that the socket was on fire. After the firefighters put out the fire, they found that the socket connected to the TV was also connected to Xiao Ming's unused computer, mobile phone, hair dryer, refrigerator and air conditioner that should not have been placed here.

For this case, which solution is not suitable?

• Make sure that your room has plenty of mains outlets

• Don't plug too many devices into the same outlet

• Turn off and unplug devices if you are going to be away for a long time

• Prepare a fire extinguisher

• Make sure that air vents on devices are uncovered to allow free air circulation

Xiao Ming was watching TV at home when he found that the socket was on fire. After the firefighters put out the fire, they found that the socket connected to the TV was also connected to Xiao Ming's unused computer, mobile phone, hair dryer, refrigerator and air conditioner that should not have been placed here.

For this case, which is not the reason cause the fire?

• Too many devices plugged into a single main outlet

• Leaving devices plugged in unattended for long periods

• Covering air vents on devices like laptops

After investigation, it was found that the cause of the fire was a mobile phone charger that had not been unplugged from the power strip, which led to an electrical fire. At the end of March 2022, a homeowner in Hezhou, Guangxi, forgot to unplug the charger when they went out. Shortly after leaving, flames appeared in the house. Within just a few minutes, the fire rapidly spread and ignited a large number of combustibles in the home.

For this case, which solution is suitable?

• Make sure that your room has plenty of mains outlets

• Don't plug too many devices into the same outlet

• Turn off and unplug devices if you are going to be away for a long time

• Prepare a fire extinguisher

• Make sure that air vents on devices are uncovered to allow free air circulation

Two experimenters of Yangzhou Fire Rescue Brigade purchased two types of dryers for experiment. From the appearance, these two dryers are no different from the simple clothes hangers used in the home, but the hangers are covered with a high-density cloth cover to gather heat and keep warm. In addition, a hole is opened at the bottom of the cloth cover to place the dryer's heater. The heater power of both dryers is one kilowatt, with a simple structure, only one heating wire and a cooling fan. Although both machines are equipped with timers, the heating power cannot be adjusted.

For this case, which solution is suitable?

• Make sure that your room has plenty of mains outlets

• Don't plug too many devices into the same outlet

• Turn off and unplug devices if you are going to be away for a long time

• Prepare a fire extinguisher

  Make sure that air vents on devices are uncovered to allow free air circulation