Homeowners are being advised to get a licensed and certified electrician to check their house wiring every five years, in order to prevent fires.

Acting Assistant Commissioner and Officer in Charge of the Fire Prevention Division of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), Emeleo Ebanks, said household or structural fires are normally caused by electricity, whether it is coming from persons syphoning off the grid or situations where persons are not connected properly.

“It might very well be a situation where there is exposure to the elements. For example, you have some lights [outside] and they are exposed to the sun and rain. Over time, the insulation is going to break down,” Ebanks said on the JIS Television programme, Get the Facts.

“So, what we normally point out to individuals is, if your house has been wired, inspected and passed over five years ago, get a certified and licensed electrician to come in and do some general checks,” he added.

He further pointed out that if persons see ants coming out of the sockets, it is an indication that something is going on in there.

“It’s a little bit warmer in there and it’s a little bit more moist than outside, so they move in. When they move in there, they are going to feed on the insulation and what is going to happen is that the negative and positive will come together at some point and that will start a fire,” Ebanks said.

JIS