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Every year, electrical fires result in thousands of injuries, hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage and, in some cases, even death. While some fires are caused by faulty products, many more are caused by the misuse and poor maintenance of electrical equipment, incorrectly installed wiring, overloaded circuits and misapplied extension cords. Smoke alarms, fire extinguishers and escape ladders are all examples of emergency equipment used in homes to take action when a fire occurs. A device called an Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter, or AFCI, is a residential circuit breaker designed to detect arcing faults and thus prevent fires from occurring in the first place. Arcing can occur when you're hanging a picture and inadvertently pierce a wire in the wall, when old wires fray or when you string extension cords together to run fans or space heaters. Approximately 2,300 injuries, 67,800 fires and 485 deaths occur each year that can be associated with home wiring, totaling $868 million in property losses. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that "AFCI devices may address 50 percent or more of these fires."

The fire death rate among people over the age of 65 is twice as high as the national average, according to the United States Fire Administration (USFA). In addition, the fire death rate among people between ages 75 and 85 is three times the national average and after age 85, it increases to four times the national average. These statistics are especially alarming when researchers estimate that by 2030, the 65 and older population will exceed 70 million people.

The Missouri Division of Fire Safety concluded in December of last year that the cause of the fire remained undetermined. But the report noted that it most likely began in the attic on the north end of the home and that an electrical short circuit in that area could not be eliminated as a possible cause. A maintenance man employed by the home who was working on its furnaces the day of the fire told investigators that he deliberately short-circuited an electrical line that ran through the attic just hours before the fire. He reportedly shorted the wiring because he did not know which switch in a breaker box controlled one of the furnaces he was repairing and wanted to switch that breaker off.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration,* home electrical problems accounted for an estimated 67,800 fires and $868 million in property losses in 2003. Electrical fires also cause an estimated 485 deaths annually and injure almost 2,300 more individuals. For this reason, the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) suggests that homeowners consider installing AFCI protection in general purpose circuits throughout the home.

A small electrical fire last month at the Falls Mill Residential Condominium complex sparked a wave of fire- and building-safety inspections that discovered numerous violations city officials are now ordering to be corrected.

Federal air-safety watchdogs, criticizing years of delays in fixing hazardous cockpit windshields that have caused electrical fires on at least nine Boeing Co. passenger jets since 2004, issued a strongly worded letter urging swift action by the Federal Aviation Administration to eliminate the problem.

Rogers fears that if the proposed $2.2 million tax increase fails to get voter support on Sept. 8, significant delays in response time caused by staffing shortages will put the welfare of students at risk during medical emergencies and fires.

Students plugging appliances into old electrical wiring makes eight dormitories and scholarship halls at Kansas University potential fire hazards.

ESA's investigation of unapproved portable generators has identified they present the following potential electric shock and fire hazards:

Nederland wordt overspoeld door gevaarlijke elektrische apparaten, snoeren en speelgoed uit Azië. De Voedsel en Waren Autoriteit (VWA) slaat alarm over de spullen die vooral uit China komen. Van de 380 partijen die de vroegere Keuringsdienst van Waren afgelopen jaar in vooral de Rotterdamse haven onderzocht, voldeed 20 tot 50 procent niet aan de veiligheidseisen. Stekkerblokken bleken te dunne kabels te hebben, waardoor snel kortsluiting ontstaat. Elektrisch gereedschap was zo beroerd gemaakt dat elektrocutie voor de gebruiker dreigt en pluchen dieren leverden verstikkingsgevaar op.