From years as a firefighter, I have seen many fires caused by window units. Mostly at the plug. I have also seen many fires caused by space heater cords. Lots of window units and space heaters are used in older homes with substandard wiring. These are often plugged into extension cords not rated for the current. NFPA uses fire reports filled out by the fire dept. to develop codes and standards. With a AC unit, the fire was caused by electrical short in the unit. With a space heater , the fire was caused by the heater. There is little effort ether by the fire dept, NFPA or others to determine the exact cause. I can say by my experience that many space heater fires were caused by extension cords and poor connections (plug strips & multi plug adapters) rather than the use of the heater itself. (near combustibles or tip over ) Most firefighters and arson inspectors are NOT forensic electrical inspectors and do not detail the cause of the fire in the report. Robert
