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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 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.

AROUND 40 per cent of Northern Ireland's fire appliances are technically obsolete at more than 10 years old, with two veteran engines approaching their second decade in service, Government figures have revealed. Statistics show 46 engines out of the total fleet of 111 are at least 10 years old.