Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service is highlighting the need to take extra care with electricals as part of the National Fire Chief Council’s Electrical Fire Safety Week.
The misuse of electricals/appliances and faulty appliances or leads caused a shocking 57.5 per cent of the accidental property fires Shropshire crews attended between April 2020 and March 2021.
Group Commander Russ Hales, Head of Prevention and Protection, said:
“Electrical faults or misuse of appliances make up such a large amount of the dwelling fires we see in the Service.
“This year we are really focusing on the dangers of fake chargers and leads. So many people will buy cheap alternatives to the branded adapters and this can often lead to disaster. The branded chargers are made specifically for that device/appliance and therefore supply the correct measure of volts needed. An excess of volts can easily cause a fire to break out.
“Please always ensure you use the correct adapter and don’t be tempted to buy cheap knock offs.
“This issue becomes even more dangerous when a plug socket is also overloaded which is already hazardous. Please do not buy the block adapters and instead choose an extension lead which has an on/off switch for each plug socket.
“By listening to this advice, you can protect your home and avoid becoming one of the statistics.”
For electrical fire safety advice visit https://www.shropshirefire.gov.uk.
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