A big mall in Bang Phli District, Samut Prakan almost caught on fire causing customers to race to the exit. Smoke filled the mall with the source coming from a toy store. This story is a good warning to choose quality power strips with surge protectors and to not overload a power outlet. The incident was shared by a Facebook page named Here is Bang Phli in Thai on 12 December 2019.
A picture was attached in the post showing the melted power strip and the remains of the fire that started to melt the cords. Smoke slowly started inside the toy store before it spread throughout the floor. Shop vendors and customers in the mall noticed the smoke and feared for a fire before rushing to the nearest exit. Luckily the store staff and the mall’s security guards put out the fire in time with fire extinguishers before the flames caught onto something else.
The Sanook News Team went to the mall and discovered that the store with the source of the fire was locked up with metal chains. The security guards blocked off any media from entering or taking any footage near the toy store. The main cause of the fire is estimated to be an electrical fire from multiple power strips and extension cords. One of the power strips might’ve not had a surge protector and power overloaded in one of the cords that were too small or low quality.
This incident is a good reminder that power strips are an extremely important product that needs to have certain quality guidelines when purchasing. Power strips can be bought in Thailand at prices as low as 20 THB. When taken apart, the low priced power strips reveal that they are made with 2 thin wires or metal bars inside that is expected to supply power to multiple electrical devices. On your next power strip purchase make sure to look for ones with surge protectors or at least one that has been approved by the TISI logo (Thai Industrial Standards Institute).
FB Caption: A good reminder to why a 20THB power strip is not worth the savings.
Source: Sanook, Facebook Page: ที่นี้….บางพลี
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