Experts warn of fire risks that come with power outages after destructive Pittsburgh storms
Tuesday's destructive storms knocked out power for more than half a million people.
If you're one of the many people still in the dark, the Aliquippa fire chief is warning of some dangers because fire and carbon monoxide risks come with power outages.
In the wake of Tuesday night's storms, tens of thousands of people in the Pittsburgh area are weathering a new storm with no electricity.
"At one point in time, we had probably about 80% of the city without power and or communication lines," Aliquippa Fire Department Chief Tim Firich said.
We all want to burn candles when the lights go out, but things can take a turn if you're not extra careful. Chief Firich said candles sparked a fire at a home in Aliquippa in the middle of the night after the storms, and now a family of three is displaced.
"They had lit candles, gone to bed due to the power outage and woke up to the house filled with smoke. Came down the stairs and realized that the dining room, the kitchen were fully engulfed in flames. The living room had begun to burn as well. So they barely escaped," he said.
Your safest bet for seeing in the dark?
"We always suggest using something battery operated: flashlights, lanterns. Candles are not a problem as long as they're attended and somebody's sitting there," Chief Firich said.
Many neighborhoods in Western Pennsylvania are filled with the sound of generators, which are helpful, but they can be dangerous.
Aliquippa firefighters stopped a fire from spreading to the inside of a home Wednesday afternoon, and the culprit was a generator.
"A pretty significant fire where there was some type of mechanical failure with the generator that was operating on the porch. They had it in place at least to preserve some of their food, their refrigerator and central electrical needs in the house," said Chief Firich.
He advises people to keep generators at least 20 feet away from homes, especially doors, garages, windows, and vents; and make sure you have carbon monoxide alarms in your home.
"We suggest that they're obviously not run indoors because of the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning as well, in addition to the risk of fire. Don't overload the circuitry of the generator. It's built to a specific load," he said.
A power surge when electricity returns can also cause a blaze. Chief Firich said there's a real possibility that could happen in places like Aliquippa and other old steel towns with turn-of-the-century homes. He recalls responding to an old wood-frame house that caught fire last winter from a power surge after an outage.
"That did not have the equipment in place to regulate that surge. And what had happened was the surge had come through the power lines into the breaker box. The breaker box had exploded, and then when sparks and electrical appliances had caught the structure itself on fire," he said.
So if your power's still out, it's a good idea to take a few simple steps to protect you and your family from electrical fires.
"Go ahead and unplug things, especially appliances and bigger high-end, bigger ticket items, of course. When the power does come back on, we can begin putting appliances back in place and back online," said Chief Firich.
