Fatal fires are repeatedly caused by electrical extension leads, according to “Firewatch” in US NFPA Journal last three issues. An extension lead powering a DVD player caused a fire which killed a householder and destroyed a house in Michigan because a bookcase placed on the lead caused it to overheat and ignite nearby combustible materials.
Electrical arcing in an extension lead in which several appliances were plugged cased a fatal with 40 000 US$ property loss fire in Missouri. An extension cord powering a heater caused a fatal fire in Texas, again when the overheating power lead ignited combustible materials nearby. In Michigan, another fatal fire was caused by an overheated extension lead into which a space heater was plugged, which ignited an upholstered chair and flammable items on the chair including diapers and a baby seat.
US National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) www.nfpa.org