A major fire broke out on the balcony of the 18th floor – just above my apartment. There were three adults and one child present but fortunately, the fire was extinguished well in time and no
one was harmed. It was a major fire but didn’t spread to other floors through the balconies are connected through pigeon nets. Credit for arresting the fire also goes to maintenance and security staff that was quick to attend to the issue. Also, our firefighting equipment was found to be in perfect functioning condition. A major accident averted! Phew!
The scorching heat of summer months brings along a lot of problems like numerous and frequent power outages, scarcity of water and other such things. In addition to these, a grave threat is posed by fire breakouts due to short circuits or heated electric appliances. There have been so many cases of fire breakouts in the neighbourhood during the last few years that it has become very necessary for us to take precautions.
The residents would remember the horrific fire incidents last year.
What is the cause of all these fires in the summer months? It’s called the fire triangle. The three basic ingredients for a fire are – oxygen, fuel and heat, which together form what experts call a fire triangle. The first two ingredients are always available around the year. But the third factor – heat – is the reason why outbreaks of fire are more common in summer than in winter and register a sharp rise during heat waves than during a normal summer.
When there is extreme heat outside, the usage of air conditioners goes up immensely in urban areas. This adds to the load on electrical wires. Some of these wires are not designed to handle such a load and often trip, which produces the spark needed to start a fire. The quality of wires being used in homes and offices is also a factor.
If there is an electrical short circuit, the spread of fire will be very fast in hot temperatures because there is no moisture content in any material. They will be dry and as good as any fuel.
Using good quality fuses of correct rating, miniature circuit breakers and earth leakage circuit breakers is one way that we can avoid fire break out. The appliances should be switched off and the plug removed. Be especially careful to notice any connections in wiring other than copper. Installed correctly, and with tight connections, aluminium wire is not excessively dangerous, but when connections are made to copper wires, an electrolytic reaction may occur, causing increased resistance in the connection which will generate excessive heat. If you are able to apply an antioxidant compound to aluminium connections, it will help decrease the risk of oxidation causing a short circuit at these locations.
Look for improperly grounded receptacles. Many modern appliances require a “three-pronged” (grounded) receptacle, but people will sometimes use an adapter to bypass this safety feature, or even break a ground prong off an appliance cord. Changing existing circuits to provide grounding is a job that is best left to a professional electrician.
Also, it is important to switch off the main switch if going out on vacation for a long time. After all, prevention is better than cure.
