VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Whether you’re striking a match to light a holiday candle or plugging in the lights on your Christmas tree, there are a lot of opportunities for fires this time of year.
After a mobile home fire in Virginia Beach, News 3 spoke to a firefighter and an electrician about how you can stay safe.
David Hutton says when people have to call an electrician, they may be in for a surprise.
Watch: 32 people displaced after apartment fire breaks out in Norfolk
“People are surprised to know that the problem was always there, they just didn’t know they were living with it. On average, people don’t have an electrician in their home but once every 12 years," Hutton explained.
Hutton is the general manager of Hutton Electric, Heating & Air in Norfolk. He showed News 3 some ways you can reduce the risk of an electrical issue in your home.
“Here, we’ve got some fire protection receptacles. These actually will sense any sort of arching that’s in the circuit and trip," said Hutton. "This is the same kind of idea, same kind of protection device, but this is a breaker version of it.”
Both are things you can get at a home improvement store and could potentially install yourself.
Speaking of breakers, he also recommends checking your breaker box to see what kind of wiring you have. If it’s aluminum, using a space heater in your home is not recommended.
If you do use a space heater, or any electrical device, make sure it’s only used as intended.
Watch: David Hutton explains how to check to see if you have aluminum wiring
According to the Electrical Safety Foundation, there are around 50,000 home electrical fires every year. They kill around 500 people and cause more than a billion dollars in property damage.
Making sure you have working smoke detectors is also important. The mobile home in Virginia Beach had working smoke detectors that were installed by firefighters in 2023 as part of a program to get smoke detectors to people who need them.
Watch: Smoke detectors may have saved Virginia Beach residents' lives
“Minimum of one per floor of the house, generally in the living areas you want to have one and where sleeping areas are," Virginia Beach Fire Department Bat. Chief Matthew Pittman said about smoke detectors.
Pittman responded to the mobile home fire. He said while the fire is unfortunate, knowing the work firefighters did a year ago paid off feels good.
“If we can get there and we know that everyone is safe and now we can try to save their property, that’s the ultimate goal," said Pittman.
As of Nov. 12, the fire at the mobile home was still under investigation.
