Big or small, fire accidents at home are home. And if the cause of home fires is electricity, it’s more dangerous. Electrical fires spread quickly because the electric sockets or points are interconnected to supply power to different corners of the house. Sometimes, people don’t even get time to escape and save themselves.

In this post, we will discuss the common reasons for electrical fires and ways to handle electrical fires successfully. But, before that, we recommend you to stay connected with a 24/7 emergency electrician in Essex. The emergency electrician will help you handle the situation in a better way.

Common causes of electrical fires

No grounded outlets– If there is water every time near the electrical socket, the chances of fire are very high. This is mainly found in the kitchen and bathroom. If there are no grounded outlets, electrical fire will erupt one day, no matter what you do.

These devices make the contact of water with the outlets harmless, preventing electrical fires from happening.

Outdated knobs and wiring– Just like medicines and perishable items, electrical knobs and wirings have an expiry date. If they don’t have an expiry date, you should discuss with your electrician for their timely replacement. Outdated knobs and wirings lead to electrical fires.

Timely replacement can only be possible if you regularly inspect your electrical connections with the help of professionals.

Excessive use of extension cords and overloading circuits – If your house is big, there should be many outlets. In old homes, we mostly find fewer outlets. When the outlets are few, people are forced to use extension cords, which overload the circuit. This leads to electrical fires.

There should be different outlets for different rooms and corners. If high-voltage appliances have to be used, the outlet should be big enough to provide the required voltage.

Ways to handle electrical fires

First and most important, you should call a 24/7 emergency electrician in Essex. While you call the electrician, ask other people to take the following steps.

Cut off the main power– This won’t stop the fire immediately but prevent it from spreading further because the wires will not be active. If you cannot reach the breaker, you should at least unplug the wire that caused the fire. This will protect the person from electrical shock while addressing the fire.

Use a fire extinguisher– Sometimes, cutting off the power isn’t possible because of its accessibility. Or, it seems risky to hold the wire or plug near the fire. In this case, you should use a dry extinguisher known as a Class C fire extinguisher. Don’t dare to use a water-based extinguisher. Instead of stopping, a fire extinguisher will increase the intensity of the fire.

Exit from your home soon– If there is no way left to protect yourself, you should exit from your home as soon as possible. Even if your clothes catch fire, you shouldn’t stop. You should drop and roll while moving out. The objective is to prevent you from inhaling carbon monoxide.

Once things become normal, you should let the 24/7 emergency electrician go inside and check the condition. If everything is fine, you should enter next.