Overloaded extension lead causes fire

Another report of a house fire highlights the dangers of overloading of electrical extension leads. Fire crews in Coventry were called to a property in the city when smoke was seen coming from one of the bedrooms. Whilst the house was unoccupied at the time, a number of pet reptiles and insects kept in the bedroom perished in the blaze. The local fire and rescue service watch commander, said: “The family’s son kept reptiles. He had snakes, tarantulas, frogs, that kind of thing. There was a lot of extension cords all going into each other. “With all the heat they just overheated. There was just too much power going through it. He has lost the majority of his pets. There is an important safety message here. What caused the fire was too much power being drawn through the extension lead. “It’s important that people get the message that they should not overload their power supply.”