From the original post.
So the things that were on the load side of the outlet, ie: extension cords and heaters etc. were not part of the examination!
The home owners must have packed up all their extension cords and heaters when they moved out. Anyway, this study might find that the average house's house wiring (as part of the house itself) may have few serious defects. Serious enough to fail in a way to cause a house fire. Some that almost caught fire (charred insulation, but didn't quite burst into flames, or the fact that the metal junction box kept the embers off flammable materials and saved the day), other problems that were never stressed enough to get even started on the way to a fire (code violations that would have failed seriously if they were ever asked to fail in a safe way (penny behind the fuse, but no overload or short ever happened on that circuit)).
I know someone who had an "electrical" house fire. He was cleaning his basement, and moved a space heater to a temp storage spot next to some other stuff but didn't notice that it was still plugged in. And he usually catches things like this, but somehow not this time. Later its thermostat decides it's cold, and turns the heater on, and the stuff next to it catches fire. User errors like this may explain most electrical fires.
This study would still be worth while, if nothing else than to identify the areas that really need attention (like the heater on extension cord).
