Fire runs through the wires…

In the private sector, fires often occur due to poor electrical wiring. Even the slightest overload can cause old wires, installed decades ago, to heat up, igniting wallpaper (often in private homes, wiring is laid under it), and then nearby furniture. Equally dangerous is the violation of electrical appliance operating rules or their use in a faulty condition. In some cases, this can be fatal. This, for example, happened in Lida. Due to a short circuit in the TV's electrical wiring, a 90-year-old pensioner's house caught fire. Rescuers were called by concerned neighbors. During the fire extinguishing, the owner was found without signs of life. By the way, the burned TV had been in use for more than 25 years.

The cause of death of a 63-year-old resident of Plashchevo village was an electric heater. The man was drying clothes on it. This caused the fire. When rescuers arrived, the house, which was used for seasonal living, was already fully engulfed in flames.

An 86-year-old resident of Volkovysk got off with a relatively minor scare. The attic of his house was burning with an open flame when a passerby saw it and called rescuers. Three minutes later, the first Ministry of Emergency Situations unit arrived at the scene. By that time, there was already a threat of the flame spreading to neighboring buildings and parked cars. Incidentally, the unsuspecting owner was... at home. Seeing fire trucks entering the yard, he ran out into the street. It took rescuers less than 15 minutes to extinguish the fire. The house remained suitable for living. The fire was presumably caused by a short circuit in the electrical wiring.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations always pays attention to bringing the homes of elderly people, who are in a special risk group, to a fire-safe condition. But the participation of adult children living separately from their elderly parents is also necessary in this matter. Sometimes minutes spent on eliminating minor household problems can save the life of a loved one.

When operating electrical equipment, you must not:

• use non-factory made electrical equipment;

• leave it plugged into the electrical network unattended (with the exception of electrical equipment whose operational documentation permits unattended operation);

• use it for purposes other than intended or in conditions that do not comply with the fire safety requirements of the operational documentation, with damaged cables (wires), switches, sockets, and other electrical equipment;

• exceed the rated current load of the electrical extension cord.

Install an autonomous fire detector in every living room. It will help detect signs of fire at an early stage and, with its sound, powerful enough to wake even a sleeping person, will alert household members to the danger and thus save their lives.