Domestic fire in Milton Keynes highlights risks posed by counterfeit chargers.
A laptop left on charge overheated and caught fire, causing significant damage to a home in Milton Keynes. The fire has been blamed on use of a cheap counterfeit charger.
In today’s online world, almost all of us own a laptop, smartphone or tablet, or maybe even all three. All of these electrical gadgets need recharging from time to time, and barely a moment goes by, both at home and in the office, without the need to plug something in.
Chargers break or get lost, but there is a tempting proliferation of after-market accessories available at a fraction of the cost of buying named brands.
Last month’s incident in Milton Keynes has prompted a Buckinghamshire Fire Officer to issue the following stark warning: “Faulty electrical goods cause thousands of fires each year. If a bargain looks too good to be true, it probably is.”
The incident also serves as a reminder to businesses not to ignore this important aspect in the course of their routine fire safety risk assessments. While areas such as evacuation procedures, adequate fire safety signs and fire detection and prevention equipment are routinely checked, it is worth remembering that the majority of office fires are caused by faulty electrics.
It is therefore imperative to ensure that all portable electrical equipment is routinely PAT tested and in particular that substandard counterfeit electrical goods are not used.
Faulty Battery
Fire experts blamed the Milton Keynes blaze on a faulty battery, which the owner had recently purchased from a cheap online supplier. When left on charge unattended at the home in the Stacey Bushes area of Milton Keynes, it overheated to such a degree that it caused a fire in the kitchen and dining area of the home.
Fire engines were dispatched from Great Holm and Newport Pagnell and used a hose reel, two sets of breathing apparatus and thermal imaging equipment in extinguishing the blaze.
Assess The Risk
Businesses need to ensure that their fire risk assessment procedures take this ever-growing hazard into account. In particular, they should incorporate the following checks:
- Make routine visual checks a daily habit. Most electrical fires are avoidable and caused by simple inattentiveness, such as carelessly placed leads and overloaded sockets.
- Never buy counterfeit or substandard goods. These are often designed for overseas markets and might be unsafe for use at UK mains voltage and frequency. Counterfeit electrical goods can also contain incorrect or faulty parts that overheat or break soon after purchase, risking fire or electric shock.
- Be particularly vigilant when it comes to chargers. Make sure you use the correct charger for the correct item, do not “mix and match” chargers that look more or less right. Only use chargers bought from a reputable source and bearing a BSI Kitemark.
- Do not leave items charging indefinitely. Be aware of how long an item has been on charge, and when it has finished, switch off the charger at the mains.
- Keep a look out for fuses that blow or circuit-breakers that trip. They are doing so for a reason and are indicative of an underlying electrical fault that could cause a fire.
- Switch off appliances at the socket when not in use. This helps to reduce the risk of fire and can also reduce electricity usage.
While the number of fires is in decline, there are still regular cases of office and home fires being caused by faulty electrical equipment. The best way to reduce risk is to only buy official equipment, and turn everything off when the office is not attended.