Kink in power cord caused Kalihi fire, investigators say
COURTESY WAYNE SHINBARA
Firefighters extinguished a 2-alarm fire in a two-story building on Puuhale Road in Kalihi Wednesday afternoon.
A fire sparked by a malfunctioning power strip caused $70,000 damage Wednesday to a Kalihi business, fire Capt. David Jenkins said today.
Nothing was plugged into the power strip, but the power cord was kinked, compromising the cord and sparking the blaze, Jenkins said.
The fire caused $70,000 in damage to the building and contents at Amco Glass Tinting and Design, 2030 Homerule St.
The fire broke out about 5:05 p.m. Wednesday, and firefighters extinguished it about a half hour later.
Responding firefighters saw smoke and flames coming from the second floor of a two-story building.
People in the building escaped without injury after noticing smoke.
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2 responses to “Kink in power cord caused Kalihi fire, investigators say”
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I’ve been one of the guilty ones, but I know many experts advise that power strips, especially the el cheapo brands most home users opt for, shouldn’t be used for long-term or permanent power setups.
Wow — good information here. Our building once had a fire chief talk to us about preventing fires. One thing I learned was that extension cords are not to be used longer than overnight. Now I’ll be more careful about the three power strips I used — the cords look fine, but they’re old enough that maybe I should replace them.