Increased electrical fire incidents in summer

Chennai

A commercial hub in Tambaram that caught fire earlier this month caused major damage to the building. Initial reports suggested that it was caused by an electrical short circuit in one of the junction boxes. Not very long ago, a transformer went up in flames in Mylapore, and on Wednesday, smoke was coming out of a junction box near College of Nursing at Chennai Central. Such incidents are common during summer.

According to the Fire Department’s records, between January and April 2016, there were 800 cases of small fire incidents (with losses to the tune of Rs 10,000), 41 medium scale cases (with losses reported to be  between Rs 10,000 and  Rs 50,000) and 11 major cases (where the loss was more than Rs 50,000 or loss of life). When compared to last year’s data, there has been a steep rise in the number of medium-level fire accidents. A fire officer says most of the cases have been caused by short circuits. “There is a sharp rise in the use of electronic appliances during summer; this, combined with poor maintenance, makes fire accidents common,” he points out.

Shankar N., an electrician, says, “The increase in the use of air conditioners causes overloading and fire breaks out due to the heating up. Continued use of any equipment creates heat, and in most buildings, the wiring is not safe enough.” He is referring to the fact that many buildings continue to have the fuse carrier, where the fuse has a thick copper wire that melts when there is excess flow of current. He adds, “The coolant in the transformer has to be constantly changed. It has to be properly maintained during summer.”

Garbage fires are also common. “Due to the higher ambient temperature, there are increasing incidents of fire caused due to heat,” says another official.