El Paso Fire Dept. seeing uptick in electrical fires this year

EL PASO, Texas -- The El Paso Fire Department is warning residents about electrical fires after seeing an uptick in them so far this year.

The department has been called out to 21 electrical fires since the beginning of the year. That's compared to 12 electrical fires during the same time frame last year.

"They usually start by neglect," said Lt. Juan Acuna. "Frayed wires, overload of plugs, overload of power strips...(some) people think that the strip is safe and it is safe, but once you overload something, it is unsafe."

Lt. Acuna suggests making sure to check on your electrical cords at least once a month. The biggest tip hiring a certified electrician.

If a small fire starts in your home due to an electrical issue and you're able to put it out, it's still best you call the fire department.

"We have equipment where we can check through the wall and see if it's still heated or warm or hot," Lt. Acuna said. "That way we can stop it, because if you don't call and the heat continues, then you're going to cause a fire."

Some other tips to keep in mind: make sure to plug in major appliances into a direct wall outlet and not an extension cord, install arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) or ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) in your homes if you can.

For more tips to keep in mind courtesy of the National Fire Prevention Association, click here.