A vehicle caught fire in Melfort after what is to be believed extension cord and block heater related. (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff)

By Aaron Schulze

Extension Cord Fire Safety

Two Melfort vehicles catch fire, residents encouraged to check block heater extension cords

Jan 27, 2021 | 5:37 PM

A homeowner on Higgins Ave E in Melfort plugged their vehicle’s block heater into an extension cord late on Wednesday, Jan. 26, and ended up calling 9-1-1 moments after.

The vehicle caught fire in the extreme cold temperature, and it spread to the other vehicle in front of it. The fire was put out before it spread to any homes and injured any people.

Melfort Fire Chief Shaun Stewart believes the fire is block heater and extension cord related.

“Everything becomes brittle at 30 and 35 below,” Stewart told northeastNOW. “It doesn’t matter if the cords are made for that or not. For the cold temperatures, if there’s a bend or a kink in them, you’re going to have a slowing down and impedance in that part of the wire. You’ll have heating in that area; cracks occur in the casing and shorts happen.”

For residents to avoid a similar fire, Stewart encourages them to ensure there’s no salt or residue on their extension cords, along with checking if they have a heavy gauge flow.

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“The lighter gauge extension cords aren’t really rated for [that amount of electricity] … make sure it’s rated for block heater use,” he said. “Make sure your cord is coming out flat from underneath your hood and that it’s not being pinched anywhere. Make sure wires are straight when you can and there are no knots in the chords.

“Anything that can create a flow impedance, you want to try and get rid of,” Stewart said.