What Causes Electrical Fires?

• Loose connections — behind outlets, switches, and inside fixture boxes. Cause arc faults; prevented by AFCI protection.
• Damaged insulation — from age, rodents, or nails driven into cables. Cause ground and short-circuit faults.
• Overloaded circuits — too much continuous load on a wire; the wire overheats before the breaker trips (or the breaker is stuck).
• Failed panels — Federal Pacific, Zinsco, and Bulldog Pushmatic panels that don't trip under fault.
• Aluminum branch wiring connections — expansion, oxidation, and connection loosening at outlets and switches.

1. AFCI breakers in bedrooms and living areas. 2. GFCI in wet locations. 3. Whole-home surge protector. 4. Panel replacement if you have FPE, Zinsco, or fuses. 5. Aluminum wiring remediation. 6. Working smoke detectors under 10 years old.