Lusignan fire caused by faulty electrical plug

Fire Chief (ag) Gregory Wickham on Friday issued a call for business owners and homeowners to ensure that their buildings are inspected regularly by an electrician to ensure safety.

His comments emerged after the March 7 fire at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara was confirmed to be electrical in nature; it was caused by a faulty electrical plug.

The building, located on the northern side of the public road, was occupied by Joe Mohammed, the Legal Officer and Jamalodeen Mohamed, a welder.

Investigators wrapped up their probe into the fire on Thursday. The fire could have been a major disaster to the neighbouring BM Soat Auto Sales and a Chinese-operated glass factory which are located at each side of the burnt building.

“People need to ensure that properties have the right rating of wires, having the building inspected as regular as it should be by a certified electrician and avoid any instance of overloading electrical circuits.

“And it is just not specific to this fire, all citizens should be doing this to safeguard their properties and belongs from being destroyed in a fire,” he explained.

In November 2021, the Guyana Fire Service was forced to issue safety tips for citizens in wake of heightened electrical fires that resulted in millions of losses.

Electrical fires can be caused by slack connections, overloading of circuits, the malfunction of electrical appliances, inferior drop cords or circuit strips and illegal connections. These fires are more high risk as they can happen at any time if enough care and attention is not exercised towards electrical outlets and appliances.

The safety tips to avoid electrical fires are listed below:

– Desist from using illegal connections for electricity.

– Inform the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) immediately of any external faulty electrical problem.

– Ensure all electrical cables are placed in a conduit (pvc pipe)

– Always use certified electricians to conduct and certify electrical works.

– It is recommended that buildings are inspected every five years by certified electrical inspectors to retest and certify the capabilities of all electrical connections.

– Desist from overloading the electrical system.

– Ensure the quality of circuit strips, wiring and electrical appliances used is of the highest standard.

– Avoid prolonged use of electrical appliances and remember to shut off and disconnect after use.