Malfunction of Electric Panel in Long Island, NY

5/25/2018 (Permalink)

Electric Panel Caused Home/Fire

Electrical panels can cause terrible fires when your home or building has old components or has not had a reputable licensed electrical contractor inspecting and maintaining your system. DIY work is not advised with panels. If your electrical system has not been properly installed, or has been tinkered with - the breakers may not trip an shut off the panel as they should, in the event of a surge or overload. Additionally bad connections and materials can cause sparks that can ignite nearby combustibles. 

The fire here in the photo was a Long Island, NY home that had a unexpected fire start in the electrical panel, located in the basement. You can see that the breaker is a total loss, an the fire spread rapidly. 

We recommend installing smoke detectors in all utility areas of your home and high risk areas: garages, basements, utility closet, laundry rooms, by any heat or high risk areas like electric panels;washer/dryers; near space heaters; oil burners/furnaces; hot water heaters.

It is wise to keep a smoke detector installed and operating in your basement, garage and anywhere your electrical box is located. 

Should you suffer a fire, know that SERVPRO of the North Fork is here to cleanup and restore your property.  We work with your insurance company to get you back to normal quickly!