Moncton’s Fire Marshal is issuing a warning about recalled thermostats after Halifax regional firefighters issued a similar public safety message after responding to a fire caused by a recalled device.
READ MORE: Halifax Fire warning homeowners to check for recalled thermostats
“We haven’t had any fires that are related to the recall, however in light in what has taken place with our colleagues in Nova Scotia, people should look at what type of thermostats they have in their homes and look on the Government of Canada website to make sure that their thermostats are not on the recall list.” said Charles LeBlanc.
The provincial Fire Marshal is also looking into records that date back to 2008 to find out if any fires in New Brunswick have been linked to those recalled thermostats. Several devices made in 2008 were originally recalled in 2011, with an expanded recall issued in 2015 that added more thermostats to the list.
LeBlanc also recommends people leave any electrical installations to licensed electricians, even for something that seems as simple as replacing a thermostat.
“We have seen on many occasions before where the home owner went on their own and tried to install something on their own and it ended up causing a fire.”
Cory Lounsbury is an electrician in Moncton. He said he has not heard of any recalled thermostats causing problems in his province yet. But two weeks ago he was called to a home where a poorly installed thermostat did spark a fire.
“A gentleman called me cause his thermostat caught fire. He said it was shooting fire out of the back of it.” said Lounsbury.
He said the back of the unit was charred similar to pictures of the recalled thermostats that recently caused a fire in the Halifax area. He said the unit was working perfectly fine, but the installation was faulty.
“From somebody that did it themselves that didn’t quite know what they were doing.”
“It was very close to having a fire if he would not have caught it when he did his house could have potentially burnt down.” said Lounsbury.
Comments