Eight people were lucky to escape injury when their house caught fire in Nyngan late on Tuesday night of last night.
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Emergency services were called to the scene following reports the Cannonbar Street cottage was alight.
Three adults and five children got out before the fire took hold.
A spokesperson for Darling River Local Area Command said the cause of the fire was yet to be established and forensic officers were examining the scene.
“Around the same time, a number of small grass fires were extinguished on the levee adjacent to River Street, Nyngan, however there is no apparent link between these fires and the cottage fire,” he said.
Sergeant Tony Wood of Nyngan Police and Captain Rob Avard of Fire and Rescue NSW have called upon local residents to conduct an audit of electrical appliances in the home following a spate of house fires in the Bogan shire.
Investigators often find power circuits have been seriously overloaded, particularly in older houses built decades ago when electrical requirements were much lower. Sergeant Wood said “we’re going into houses and finding powerboards connected to more powerboards running off double adaptors. Big screen TVs, stereos, and bar fridges are just some of the devices that can quickly overload a circuit if they’re all connected at once”. Captain Rob Avard said “power boards are meant to have circuit breakers but some of the cheap imports aren’t up to scratch. You only need one to fail and you’ve got a big problem”.
Areas at risk include verandahs that have been enclosed and turned into rumpus rooms and children’s bedrooms.
These rooms often have powerboards connected to TVs, fans, heaters, electric blankets, computers, game consoles, phone chargers, and stereos.
Fire and Rescue NSW offers a number of tips on the website relating to power board safety, including:
o do not overload the powerboard
o place powerboards on their sides to prevent dust build up in unused points
o regularly check the plugs to ensure they are firmly fixed
o ensure adequate ventilation as powerboards can easily overheat
o regularly inspect powerboards and leads for signs of damage and degradation
