How to Stop an Electrical Fire Immediately
Electrical fires can spread quickly and be extremely dangerous. If you feel a tiny shock when you touch an electrical appliance, or you notice a burning smell coming from an appliance or from a plug, you need to unplug this appliance and to call an electrician who will be able to resolve the situation.
Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to prevent electrical fires. If one starts in your kitchen or in your bedroom, you need to know how to react and what to do. If the fire is still small, you might be able to stop it yourself, but if it spreads too quickly, you will need to get out of your home and call the firefighters before the situation becomes too dangerous.
Here is how to stop an electrical fire as quickly as possible.
1. Turn off the power circuit
When an electrical fire starts, the first thing you should do is unplug the appliance responsible for the accident, if it’s safe to do so. You should then quickly turn off the power circuit, as it might prevent the fire from growing and spreading. However, be sure to stay away from your electrical panel if even just one part of your body is wet.
If you don’t know where your home’s electrical panel is, or how to turn off the main breaker switch, you should try to figure it out now and learn how to stop an electrical fire. You don’t want to wait for an emergency situation to happen.
2. Quickly assess the situation
The best way to prevent an electrical fire from breaking out is to take preventative measures. Invest in high-quality electronic coolers that can bring down the temperatures of your devices so that an electrical fire doesn’t happen in the first place.
However, if you are faced with an electrical fire, you need to try to stay calm and to assess the situation. If the fire is spreading too quickly, or if you simply feel like you won’t be able to put it out on your own, you need to evacuate your home and call the firefighters. Don’t put yourself in danger.
If you think you will be able to stop the fire on your own before it gets out of control, you will need to use either baking soda, or the right type of fire extinguisher.
3. Don’t use water to try to stop the fire
The worst thing you could do is try to fight an electrical fire with water. Water conducts electricity, so if you throw water on an electrical fire, you could be shocked and seriously injured.
Even if you somehow don’t get an electrical shock, water could help the fire spread even faster throughout the room. Instead of stopping the fire, it will make it grow by guiding electricity and sparks towards flammable materials. If you don’t have baking soda or a fire extinguisher, don’t use water and simply leave your home as soon as possible to call the firefighters.
4. Use baking soda on a small electrical fire
If you are dealing with a small electrical fire, you might be able to stop it with some baking soda. Try to douse the fire by putting some of that very useful white powder on it.
Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, the same substance that is used in Class C fire extinguishers. When this substance is heated by an electrical fire, it becomes sodium carbonate, and releases carbon dioxide and water. The carbon dioxide will first smother the fire by starving it of oxygen, and the water will cool off the heat source.
Unless you have a very huge box of baking soda, you should not try this trick on a large electrical fire.
5. Use a Class C fire extinguisher
If the electrical fire you want to put out is too large, you will need to use a fire extinguisher. However, it will need to be a Class C fire extinguisher, as the other types of extinguishers might not work well on an electrical fire. An ABC powder extinguisher, which sprays a fine chemical powder that doesn’t conduct electricity, can also be used.
To use your fire extinguisher, simply hold it in an upright position, and pull the pin of its level. Aim the nozzle directly at the source of the fire, if you can, and squeeze the level to start spraying the substance. Try to cover the area until the fire is doused.
6. Give up as soon as the fire gets out of control
If you manage to stop the fire with either baking soda or a fire extinguisher, you should still call the firefighters so they can make sure the fire will not start again.
If the fire keeps growing and spreading despite your efforts to stop it, give up and evacuate your home as quickly as you can before calling for help. If you wait too long, the fire could really get out of control, and block your only escape route. Do what you can to stop the fire, but don’t wait until it’s too late to get outside with everyone else who might be present in your home.
