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Power strip overloaded with heat lamps sparks 3-alarm fire in West Roxbury
By adamg on Thu, 02/05/2015 - 6:39am
Weld Street aftermath. Photo by BFD.
The Boston Fire Department reports a fire at 532 Weld St. did an estimated $400,000 in damages. No residents or firefighters were injured.
The department pegs the cause as a short circuit on a second-floor porch:
Specifically, an overloaded power strip with heat lamps plugged in to it.
Spokesman Steve MacDonald said four heat lamps were plugged in, but only three were on. He said consumer power strips are not designed for multiple devices drawing large amounts of power, such as heat lamps.
Firefighters arrived around 1:25 a.m.; the fire was declared knocked down at 2:13 a.m.
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Comments
Yet another reason for people
Yet another reason for people to shovel out the nearest hydrant, as if reminders are needed. Great work, BFD.
I currently have guests who
I currently have guests who routinely crank a giant space heater to 85 degrees in MY living room, then go to bed on the opposite side of the house with doors closed, or leave the house entirely - once for an entire day and a night before I got home and found it running.
I am running out of ways to explain to them why this is not OK! Next time I am taking a sledgehammer to it and hurling the itty bitty pieces out into the snow.
People are STUPID.
(May very well not apply to this story but I had to rant somewhere.)
Time to...
change the locks.
...or at the very least, get
...or at the very least, get a programmable outlet, like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Lux-Heating-Cooling-Programmable-Thermostat/dp/B00...
But really, I'm with Gary C. No guest is worth the threat of your house burning down.
Wow...
Time to get rid of the space heater! Or lock it away somewhere. This is a one/two strikes and you're out issue.
From the Patch
Boston Fire Department said the cause of the 3 alarm fire was overloaded power strip on the front 2nd floor porch with portable heaters plugged in to it. Damage estimate is $400,000.
Update
Just spoke with Steve MacDonald at BFD: Was actually heat lamps, not portable heaters.