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People's careless use of electrical appliances, especially clothes dryers and dehumidifiers, can accidentally turn these appliances into "fireballs" right in their own homes.
According to statistics from the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department in February, 240/449 fires were investigated to clarify the cause, of which fires caused by electrical system and equipment failures accounted for the highest percentage with 169 cases, accounting for 70.4%.
The increased demand for electrical equipment in humid weather, especially clothes dryers and dehumidifiers, combined with people's carelessness, is a potential risk leading to many fires and explosions if electrical equipment is not used properly.
In recent days, people are looking to buy cheap clothes dryers on the market. This is a non-specialized device that the manufacturer "made" with a fan motor attached to a heating wire and a cabinet surrounded by an iron frame and canvas used to dry clothes.
This appliance poses a very high fire risk when used because the clothes are hung on top and the heater is placed below in a “smoked” style. During the drying process, if not paid attention, clothes can fall into the machine and cause the appliance to catch fire, leading to a house fire.
For electrical equipment of clear origin, there are many other common causes of fire and explosion from clothes dryers, such as: Not cleaning the dryer regularly, broken control unit, leaving flammable objects in clothes...
Fires and explosions from electrical equipment not only cause property damage but can also endanger human health and life. Therefore, to limit fires and explosions when using electrical equipment, especially dryers and dehumidifiers during the wet season, Tay Ho District Police (Hanoi) recommends the following actions for people to ensure safety:
Clothes must be wrung dry before being put into the dryer to save electricity and ensure safety because during use, wrung dry clothes will increase the insulation capacity. In particular, people should note not to put greasy clothes in the dryer.
Before washing and drying, check the pockets of clothes, remove items such as nails, clips, pens, lighters, etc. because they will damage the machine, creating a reaction leading to fire. Do not place the machine in a humid environment such as the bathroom, avoid children's play areas and do not place flammable objects nearby (at least 10-15cm from the wall; 80cm from the floor).
In addition, humid weather can cause water condensation on circuit boards, and even long-term humidity can create drops that flow into electrical outlets, causing electric shock or fire at any time. Therefore, households need to regularly check electrical equipment such as: water heaters, refrigerators, induction cookers, etc.
To ensure safety, people should check the equipment carefully before use, clean and maintain electrical equipment periodically, especially for water heaters, turn off the power switch before bathing, to avoid electrical leakage causing accidents and fires and explosions.
When a fire or explosion occurs, people need to shout and alert everyone around them, call the fire prevention and rescue police force at 114 or the nearest authorities and use means to put out the fire and escape.
TB (according to Vietnam+)