Three fires were reported in different houses of Panchshila Park in January. Two of them were in S block (S-11 and S268) and one of them in N block (N-164).
Crisis was fortunately averted in all cases due to help and support from fellow residents, neighbours and the Security Staff (Supervisors Deepak and Rajeshwar). For S11, a fire brigade had to be called and that took its own time, coming from Nehru Place. Fortunately, the damage was contained.
Whilst the real causes of the fire may be difficult to isolate, at least on two occasions, they originated at the MCB.
Research throws up six main causes of home electrical fires:
1. Faulty sockets and outlets – sockets get worn out, wires loosen up, and earthing is often compromised.
2. Fixtures and fittings – using higher wattage than prescribed, covering bulbs with clothing.
3. Extension boards – putting too many appliances on the same extension or using heavy duty heaters on these boards connected to light rather than a heavier load bearing power socket.
4. Risk of portable heaters – coil type can invariably lead to fire if placed too close to anything combustible. Radiator type heaters are the best for spreading preventing fires.
5. Outdated wiring that has lived its life and gets overloaded with multiple appliances. MCB fires are typically caused by these or by loose connections.
6. Old or faulty appliances – If not bought from a standard source or if they are too old, appliances can themselves catch fire or lead to it.
A fact also emerged during these crises situations that many residents do not have any fire extinguisher installed in their homes. Or, even if they do, they may not have replenished them/kept them active. This is a critical requirement.
Electrical fires cannot be put out by water. You have to either use a fire extinguisher or sand to put it out. People should be educated in how to use these.
If a fire breaks out in your premises, please don’t panic. Take the following steps to deal with the situation:
1. If the fire is small and can be handled with a fire extinguisher, use it immediately.
2. In case the fire is seemingly beyond control, ring up the Fire Service (either 01126445230 Nehru Place or 101/112). To receive Society level support, you can additionally call up the Security Supervisor on Duty (Mr Deepak nighttime 8130081969/Mr Rajeshwar daytime 9599803437) who can help coordinate some firefighting efforts quickly. Also switch off your electricity from mains to prevent any mishap like shock.
3. If BSES area light needs to be shut down or if the fire is seen in BSES wires or poles (or you are getting electric shock), please call their emergency number 011-4951 6707
Most importantly, get your wires checked once to see if any are outdated or if there are any loose connections/earthing loss. And please keep adequate number of fire extinguishers in the house to deal with such emergencies.
We also hope that the authorities will take note that, for important areas like Panchshila Park, Malviya Nagar, Sarvapriya VIhar and Hauz Khas, the nearest fire station is quite far away and there is a need to look at having one much closer to these localities.
