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A fire that did an estimated $500,000 damage to a rural Southwestern Ontario home was possibly started due to a cellphone charger and “associated wiring,” a local fire official said.
Firefighters from Vittoria, Simcoe, Delhi and St. Williams were called to the blaze just after 5 p.m. on Friday at Charlotteville East Quarterline Road and Concession Road 8 near the rural Southwestern Ontario community of Bill’s Corners. Fire officials say the blaze did extensive damage to the home, and the total cost is estimated at $500,000.
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No one was home at the time of the fire and firefighters were able to prevent any further damage or loss to nearby structures, fire officials said.
“The preliminary investigation was limited due to the safety of the remaining structure,” said fire prevention officer Cory Armstrong-Smith. “However, a cellphone charger and associated wiring is being considered as the source of ignition even though it was not charging a device at the time of the fire.”
As a reminder, Armstrong-Smith said electronic devices should only be used with charging equipment that comes with the device and cables and cubes should be discarded immediately if they become damaged, discoloured or show any other signs of malfunctioning.
“For optimum safety, all electrical devices should be unplugged when not in use,” Armstrong-Smith said.
Public safety officials have been noting the potential links between cellphones and smartphones and fires for several years. In 2021, CBC reported that Health Canada had cited them as the No. 1 electronic device that causes fires – 183 across the country over the preceding five years were linked to phones or their accessories.
Officials encouraged those seeking more information to contact Norfolk Fire’s fire prevention bureau at 519-426-5870 or 226-NORFOLK weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., or visit www.norfolkcountyfire.ca.
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