Gwangju Fire Headquarters Issues Fire Warning for Multi-Outlet Power Strips Amid Heatwave

Safety Guidelines Urged:
Avoid Daisy-Chaining Power Strips and Follow Proper Appliance Use

Photo materials from the fire site investigation by Gwangju Fire Headquarters. Provided by Gwangju Fire Headquarters

The Gwangju Fire Safety Headquarters announced on July 29 that as the use of cooling appliances increases significantly during the summer, there has been a series of fires caused by overloaded multi-outlet power strips, and extra caution is required.

In the past three years, there have been a total of 113 fires related to cooling appliances in the Gwangju area. Among these, electrical factors accounted for the largest proportion at 45.1%, followed by carelessness at 25.7%, mechanical factors at 14.2%, and unknown causes at 12.4%.

In particular, during the hot season from July to September, 72 fires occurred, representing 64% of the total, and most of these were caused by electrical factors. The excessive use of cooling appliances and indiscriminate connection of multi-outlet power strips, due to high humidity and prolonged heat waves, were identified as the main causes of these fires.

The fire authorities urged the public to follow safety guidelines when using cooling appliances, including: connecting appliances directly to wall outlets, refraining from using multi-outlet power strips in a daisy-chain manner, using only certified products with KC marks or other safety certifications, and immediately replacing old or damaged products.

Kim Heecheol, head of the 119 Response Division, stated, "When multiple appliances, including cooling appliances, are connected to a multi-outlet power strip, there is a very high risk of fire due to electrical defects such as overcurrent or poor contact. It is important to follow safety rules. In the event of a fire, power should be cut off, use a fire extinguisher to put out the fire, and if the fire is large, evacuate immediately and call 119."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.