Sheffield House Fire that Killed Family of 5 Caused by Faulty Mobile Charger

ConsumerWatch / Health and Safety May 12, 2014 - 03:01 PM GMT

The Sheffield Wake Road house fire that killed a family of 5 including 3 children 2 weeks ago is said by South Yorkshire Police and Fire investigators to have most probably been started by a faulty charging device such as a mobile charger.

South Yorkshire Police stated: "Following a joint investigation, South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue have found that the most probable cause of the fatal house fire in Wake Road, Nether Edge, Sheffield, was an electrical fault involving a faulty charging device.

"However, the investigation continues on behalf of the coroner, and a full inquest into the deaths of the three children and two women will take place at a future date."

The funeral of the 5 victims of the house fire took place on Thursday 8th of May at the local Madina Mosque and was attended by more than 2000 people.

Dangers of Mobile Chargers

The Sheffield house fire is just the latest incidence to illustrate the dangers of leaving mobile and tablet chargers near permanently plugged in with the socket switched on, including over night. Where even the branded chargers will have been produced for not more than for a couple of pounds cost, which is why chargers tend to be the weakest link and the first piece of hardware to fail prompting owners to buy cheap China produced replacements where even if a branded replacement is purchased it can still turn out to be a cheap fake produced for mere pennies that is prone to break and fail by over heating that risks starting a fire.

Remember that a plugged in charger even without a device charging off of it will still be drawing a current and dissipating heat where over a long period of time the heat can result in damage to the internal circuits causing failure that could manifest itself in a fire.

So to put safety first all chargers when not in use should at the very least have the socket switched off, and better still be unplugged which is especially important at night. Whilst replacement chargers should only be purchased from official suppliers rather than off of ebay, amazon or worse mobile shops and local markets.

Further suggestions to reduce risks:

1. As a rule all electrical devices such as computers, TV's, irons and hair dryers should be switched off at the socket at night so as to avoid the risk of over heating and causing a fire.

2. Regularly check that your smoke detectors are in good working order by replacing batteries and using a can of compressed air to get rid of dust that can interfere with the smoke detector's operation.

3. Have at least 1 dry powder fire extinguisher used for dealing with oil and electrical fires and a fire blanket in the kitchen.

4. Perform regular fire drills so that everyone in the household understands that they need to quickly exit the property when the smoke alarm goes off.

By Nadeem Walayat

http://www.marketoracle.co.uk

Nadeem Walayat has over 25 years experience of trading derivatives, portfolio management and analysing the financial markets, including one of few who both anticipated and Beat the 1987 Crash. Nadeem's forward looking analysis focuses on UK inflation, economy, interest rates and housing market. He is the author of four ebook's in the The Inflation Mega-Trend and Stocks Stealth Bull Market series.that can be downloaded for Free.

Nadeem is the Editor of The Market Oracle, a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication that presents in-depth analysis from over 1000 experienced analysts on a range of views of the probable direction of the financial markets, thus enabling our readers to arrive at an informed opinion on future market direction. http://www.marketoracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any trading losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors before engaging in any trading activities.

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