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Faulty wiring short circuit to blaze

Prevention is better than cure. And no one knows this better than personnel from the fire department.

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Prevention is better than cure. And no one knows this better than personnel from the fire department.

Officials from the fire department blamed negligence for fire outbreaks caused by defective electricity circuits at residential and commercial units.

“The ends of electricity cables should not be kept open. A wire should not be left hanging on a staircase. It must be covered with a conduit or a metal or a PVC pipe. These appear to be small steps, but can help us avert major incidents,” advised HN Mujawar, chief fire official with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. He stressed on proper maintenance of the electricity system at all residential and commercial structures, including schools, colleges, malls and workplaces.

A senior Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport official pointed out  that people often wrongly blamed short-circuits for fire outbreaks when they were, in fact, caused by power-related issues. “If one uses a faulty appliance that consumes more power, it gets heated and explodes later. Then, one can’t claim that the incident occurred due to a short-circuit,” he explained.

He insisted that occupants of a building must ensure that proper earthing and an earth leakage circuit breaker (ELCB) are in place before they move in.

“The ELCB is a big help for consumers. If it senses a minor fault in the system, it gets tripped and isolates the circuit.”

Another fire safety measure is conducting annual audits and evacuation drills every 15 days or a month, Mujawar suggested. “Fire alarms, a public alarm system, underground and overhead water tanks, fire lifts, electrical ducts of proper measurements, sprinkler detectors and a fire extinguisher must be installed. But, people often don’t maintain the equipment, which after a period of time, can rust and subsequently, become defunct,” he said.

He also pointed at the importance of having a fire resistance door on each floor of a building, besides, training people on the use of fire control equipment.

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