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Re: Garage planning / Real examples of fires

Subject: Re: Garage planning / Real examples of fires
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 17:54:53 -0500
Cc: spridgets@autox.team.net
References: <113.b7493b2.2982daec@aol.com> <3C518E01.74F15793@ix.netcom.com> <3C51D3CB.880475AE@snet.net>
Actually, if there are any listers with fire investigative experience, they 
could expand
on this but here's some examples of recent fires in our office and our area of 
CT:
- Fire in small auto repair garage $125,000. - Cause: pinched extension cord.
- Fire in A&P Liquors $250,000. - Cause: pinched electrical cord
- Fire in Residential Condo Unit $50,000. - Cause: Toaster. Not in use, but 
plugged-in.
- Electrical arcing in main electrical panel - loose connection inside panel. 
(Excluded
loss w/o B&M Coverage)
- Fire in Kitchen ceiling $200,000. - Old patch in hole in chimney fell out. 
(Not a
total loss)
- Fire in attached Garage $250,000. - Crack in chimney flue. (Not a total loss)
- Fire in living room (minor) $25,000. - Crack in chimney flue.
- Fire on front porch. $205,000. - Smoldering mattress from cigarette 
negligenetly put
out onto front porch. (Total Loss)
- Fire on Front Porch $250,000. - Cigarette flicked onto front porch by tenant. 
(total
loss)
- Fire in Bedroom $275,000. - Candle close to wall set fire to calendar. (Not a 
total
loss.)
- Fire in wall $175,000. - Romex cable pinched from time of construction finally
overheated. (Not a total loss)
- Condo fire $600,000. - Heat from plumber's torch caused stud to smolder and 
finally
ignite. (Not a total loss.)
- Fire in Downtown Branford, CT (Millions) - Failure to service defective 
furnace.
- Fire in attached garage $60,000. - Defective splice by power company to main 
cable let
go. When live cable hit the ground, it arced to an abandoned electrical conduit 
pipe
from a swmming pool that was filled-in. The electricity followed the conduit 
ion the
ground and jumped to an outside faucet on a wall of the attached garage and set 
garage
on fire. Where live cable hit the ground, it blew a 1 foot deep hole. Fire 
Marshall said
that if children had been playing in the yard at the time, they would have been
electrocuted.

Fire marshalls have told me that fires from electrical appliances left 
plugged-in are
common, especially toasters and toaster ovens and one of the worst causes are 
unattended
candles.

jay f

Jim Juhas wrote:

> So, if most fires start from electrical sources, that is a strong argument to 
>put
> your wiring in conduit on the surface of the interior walls.  Aesthetics are 
>not the
> same as in the house, and with the heavier loads in the garage and shop, this 
>might
> make some sense.  I have been considering this approach for some time for the
> flexibility it provides.  Now I have another reason.

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