Fire Marshal Urges Proper Fuse Usage After Fire in Ferndale Home

Fire Marshal Urges Proper Fuse Usage After Fire in Ferndale Home
(Crystal A. Proxmire)
A fire started in the ceiling of a home on West Troy Street on Wednesday was caused by homeowners putting larger amp fuses into their fuse box to circumvent the power going out due to overload.
Fire Marshal Brian Batten warned people of the danger of using higher amp fuses than what is recommended. “We want to inform everyone that they should never put a larger than required fuse or breaker into an electrical panel.  Many people do this when they have trouble with fuses blowing or circuit breakers tripping.
“These devices are your first line of defense should there be a problem with your household wiring.  A blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker is a warning that something is wrong or overloaded.  Bypassing these safety devices only leads to disaster,” Batten said.
The fire on West Troy was started, Batten said, when a wire between a bedroom ceiling and the floor above, burned completely through a 2×6 inch ceiling joist. “Moderate damages resulted and the two brothers had to stay with relatives until repairs to the electrical system can be completed.  Damage estimates are between $10,000 and $20,000,” Batten said. “The home owners, two brothers in their mid to late 50’s, had been experiencing electrical problems for some time.  Instead of hiring an electrician to repair or update the system, they put larger amp fuses into individual circuits.”
No one was hurt and the fire was confined to the area of origin.

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