What Is An Electrical Fire?

This page gives my views on a subject that has not had sufficient research to support or refute my views. I trust you will take them for what they are.

The public has not been encouraged to distinguish fire danger arising from electrically powered things (or their abuse) from fire danger arising out of imperfections in an electrical system (due to design or installation). Fires from this second matter certainly deserve the name "electrical", though it must still be understood that any fire that is destructive beyond the malfunctioning electrical system equipment itself (destructive, that is, of people or belongings) is actually a structural fire, which depends on the proximity of combustibles to such electrical equipment.

By this definition, for example, fires originating from light fixtures that overheat from bulbs of excessive wattage are not electrical. Nor is a fire from bedding blocking the airflow of an electric heater (unless the heater’s safety device failed to shut it down). Also an arcing short from someone’s having nailed a cord along the surface of a wall would not be an "electrical" fire as I am defining it. Rather, this would be a case of abuse of an electrical appliance, not a case of improper installation of the electrical distribution system.

It could be that over an indefinitely long time, every electrical component installed in every home could deteriorate to the point of presenting a slight fire hazard. The design, approval, and installation of these components does not take into consideration such a long period of time, during which many kinds of conditions can have an effect on their integrity. Nor could there be an economical way of requiring such longevity from the beginning. We assume the need for some maintenance and for eventual replacement -- even of the building itself. Whether the maintenance done is preventive or is in response to problems encountered might make some difference in fire statistics, but this has not been shown, that I am aware of. Over-maintenance is possible. Also, since any change made can awaken existing imperfections or contain imperfections of its own, total safety will never be a realistic goal.

For a photographic look at the ugliness, if not scariness, of some overheated wire connections, see my page on Melted wires.

Of all home fires 1994-1998, about 3%* were due to electrical system failures, as I have defined them, compared with 2% from natural causes. I admit my definition is that of an electrician (who is also apologizing for problems with the design and manufacture of the components I install) and I hope that my conscientiousness in installation counteracts the negligence of a few other electricians. I sympathize with some of the distrust the public has developed for electrical things in general, but not all of it, because this has been an area of considerable hype.

*The U.S. Fire Administration categorizes 9.4% as "electrical distribution" fires. Within this category, however, is included lamps, light fixtures, and lamp and extension cords, which are certainly electrical but by their portable nature or product nature should not so easily be lumped with what the electrical trade is responsible for. My alternate figure of 3% comes from breaking down the causes of 149 of these "electrical and lamp" fires studied by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in the early 1980’s. The subcategories in that report could not always distinguish between mechanical damage and poor installation, and do not reveal enough to mount a campaign against all the true causes. For instance, overheating at a receptacle may be from the looseness of the wires attached by the electrician to it or from looseness of its slots that receive what you plug into it. After a fire it is not easy to tell the difference. Looseness in the slots is common and is a case of mechanical damage, often from plugged-in cords being pulled sideways -- as when going too far away with a vacuum cleaner.