Beginning of a Fire - Part 3

By: Nick Markowitz Jr.
Fire Investigator –Electrical Contractor

The following picures are of the airconditioning disconnect. It was installed in 1973 and the wire used was the wrong type. It should have been sunlight resistant UF cable but instead the electricain used regular inside romex wire. He then pulled it up at a tight angle and over-tightened the connector which from vibration and heavy sunlight eventualy lead to the wire degrading to point it rubbed against the connector and caught fire. Luckily this disconnect was mounted on a brick building. Had it been mounted on a house with wood or vinyl or insulbrik siding a structure fire would have resulted.

The Beginnings of a Fire articles is an ongoing series of articles to help show exactly how fires start and why it is important to follow the National electrical code and use good install practice around electricity. It is also intended as a guide to help fire inspectors under stand whats hapens right before the fire starts and how to help identfy the cause.

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