Fire crews from Douglas were called to a garage fire on Royal Terrace in Onchan yesterday (22nd April) afternoon. On arrival crews were met with a fire in an attached garage. It was quickly established that the property had been safely evacuated. A BA crew consisting of two firefighters quickly brought the fire under control using a high pressure hosereel. On investigation it was found that the cause of the fire had been overloaded plug sockets. There was substantial damage to items inside the garage including an oil tank. Crews remained in attendance to deal with hot spots and assist with the decanting of oil from the badly damaged tank to a separate container.
Safety Message
• Never overload plug sockets.
There are particular danger signs you should look out for on all the electrical items you have around your home:
• hot plugs and sockets, fuses that blow frequently, flickering lights and scorch marks on sockets or plugs; these are all signs of loose wiring or other problems that should be fixed
• badly wired plugs – if you can see the coloured wires sticking out, they can come loose and debris can also get into the plug
• frayed power leads – the outer covering of all power leads should be in good condition and not damaged
• repaired power leads – split or frayed leads should not just be taped over as this is not a secure repair; they should be replaced
• overloaded sockets – too many electrical appliances plugged into one socket or adapter can overload it, which will lead to overheating
• badly positioned cables – they should not be anywhere they could be tripped over, or near to water, or close to cookers or other sources of heat; and don't run them under rugs or carpets where they can wear through without anyone noticing
• water near electrical items – cables and plugs should never be in danger of getting wet; so don't put a vase of flowers on the TV, for example
Researching your Manx family history can be a very interesting and rewarding hobby. Trace your roots in the Isle of Man with our helpful of guide.
