Upward trend in electrical fires "very worrying"
Essex Fire Service are encouraging consumers to buy electrical items that meet British safety standards
Essex fire service are urging us not to buy electrical items that do not meet British safety standards.
This comes as there is an upward trend in electrical fires in the county, and they are calling this "very worrying."
In investigations, they find that a variety of items are the cause, from lithium batteries to toasters, laptops to washing machines.
They are encouraging consumers to research electrical items before they purchase them, and say that goods like cheap chargers could be a risky purchase.
Speaking to Andre Turner, Fire Investigations Team Manager, he said:
"We have noticed an increase as well, and it is an issue because some of them could be easily prevented.
"Obviously we can't eliminate a fire from occurring, but we can actually help to reduce it."
They are seeing "virtually any electrical product" be the cause of some of these fires, and the makes and models of the devices are shared with Trading Standards who monitor national trends.
We asked Andre about the best ways to avoid an electrical fire:
"Main thing is, if they're not using anything at home, is to turn it off.
"If you're charging your mobile phone or laptop, charge it when you are awake, because it can cause fires while you are asleep.
"The same with tumble driers and washing machines as well. Only use them when you're there so you can actually see to make sure they aren't starting to smoke or anything like that.
"Buying from reputable companies as well. Make sure that what you're buying you have researched it properly, rather than just buying it on a whim.
"Make sure that it meets British standards."
"If you can, buy the genuine product. We all know that the cost of living crisis, things are more expensive and people haven't got that income perhaps to buy the genuine one, but there are aftermarket electrical items out there which will be safe enough to use without buying genuine.
"But you don't want to buy one for 10p from somewhere because we don't know what safety criteria has been taken out of that device."
Andre said that extra care should be taken with devices containing lithium ion batteries, as there are typically three methods in which it can ignite.
"You've got mechanical damage, so if it's a scooter bumping on curbs, causing damage to the internals.
"Sometimes you have got manufacturing defects within it, and the other one is overcharging.
"Using the wrong charger for that device can cause it to go into what we call thermal runaway, and that is where one of the cells inside becomes damaged, heats up, and starts producing gases and more heat, and it just goes from there."
Essex Fire Service have been putting out safety messages when attending fire investigations, and urge households to check their smoke alarms and electrical equipment to remain safe.