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#123070 02/28/06 01:40 PM
Joined: Aug 2001
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pauluk Offline OP
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Thanks to ianh for the following:

Quote
These are a couple of photos from a house fire I attended this afternoon. It was fairly intense, and it wasn't possible to get an exact identification of the boards and CBs (but I can hazard a guess..)

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Joined: Apr 2005
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H
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any idea of the exact cause? looks nasty


Cliff
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,803
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It's not that pub, is it?!


Wood work but can't!
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 54
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No, it's not that pub, but the next lot of photos might be.....

My opinion is that the fire started (or was at it's most intense) in the area where the cables came into the distribution board. This is the top right area in photo 2.

I'll know more at the end of the week as a fire investigator is coming over to the island to have a look at it.

Edited to add this bit :

If you look closely at the photos, can you spot an earth wire anywhere? This should be a TT installation....

[This message has been edited by ianh (edited 03-01-2006).]

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pauluk Offline OP
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I can't even see where the earth busbar out of the melted unit is!

Was that separate MCB/RCD unit on the left feeding anything? I can see only the feeders going to it.

Joined: Jun 2004
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The RCD on the left is fed from the meter and then goes into the distribution board.

When the fire brigade attended, they hosed the lot down with water! I know that there are a lot of fire fighters on this board - would you use water???

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pauluk Offline OP
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Ah... I was thinking that was the remains of an RCD on the right of the board itself.

Water? Probably not the best choice!

Joined: Apr 2005
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Quote
If you look closely at the photos, can you spot an earth wire anywhere? This should be a TT installation....


Can't see one, they all look like earth wires after this though


Cliff
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 20
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Sand, powder or CO2 for electrical fires aint it?? water sounds strange, although there is an opinion that once an electrical fire has started then there is presumed a dead short anyway and more water will trip the service fuse, but Im not sure Id take that course of action, maybe there are some firefighters on here that could answer the question about putting electrical fires like this one out.
Regards Dave.

Joined: Nov 2002
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Water on electrical fires? Isn't there an issue with shock hazard to the fireman hosing it down? Or are fire hoses designed to protect the fireman from that?

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