SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Just hours after Hurricane Milton knocked out power to thousands in Seminole County, firefighters responded to a house fire.
The fire broke out around 12 p.m. on Friday in unincorporated Seminole County. Firefighters say flames were contained to the garage and attic with significant smoke damage throughout the home.
Firefighters said the cause of the fire was determined to be a lack of proper maintenance on the generator that was supplying power to the home.
No injuries were reported.
When it comes to generator safety, experts recommend placing generators outdoors and keeping them at least 20 feet away from doors and windows to prevent carbon monoxide.
[RELATED: Navigating generator risks during hurricane season]
Appliances should also be directly plugged into the generator rather than using power strips. The “point-to-point” connection minimizes the risk of overloading circuits and causing fires.
Lt. Dave Williams with Seminole County Fire Department shared tips with News 6 for homeowners to keep in mind.
“If you’re plugging in the cords and they’re done right and they’re provided from Home Depot, Lowes, or any other outlet like that, it’s really a plug and play system,” said Williams. “You can start it up, you plug it in, go right to your device.”
Williams says typically people run into issues when someone attempts to backfeed their house. Backfeeding means trying to power your home’s wiring by plugging the generator into a wall outlet. There are fire risks and safety concerns for yourself, utility workers, neighbors, and first responders.
“Where we get into issues is where you take this and you have these larger amps, these 30-amp and 50-amp outlets, where people are taking them in and plugging them into their house. Either a dryer outlet or something they’ve installed themselves. And they’re back feeding into the house,” said Williams. “It’s very easy if you don’t know if it’s a three pull or a two pull, or what we call two phase and three phase, there’s so much when you get into electrical and wiring. If you don’t know what you’re doing you can make a very costly mistake.”
When it comes to storing your generator properly for the next storm, Williams says to be sure to drain the fuel.
“There’s a fuel shutoff. Obviously, if you’re not going to run it, turn the fuel off, but then take the steps after the storm has passed and you’re done and you’re going to store it,” said Williams. “Drain the fuel completely. It’s about 5 gallons in this tank right here, put it in another tank. They actually have siphons. They can drain it out through the top. You can drain it through the bottom, but take that fuel out, run it dry, follow those recommendations. Change your oil, get it completely serviced.”
If you don’t know how to maintain your generator, make sure you take it to an expert who can do it for you.
“If you don’t know how to do it, take it to a local lawn shop. They have a bunch of shops that will do this for you, and that way the next time the storm comes you have a generator that is bound to work, is going to be a first-time fire. You want something that is reliable,” said Williams.
And Seminole County reminds residents to follow the 20-20-20 rule with generators:
- Keep generators at least 20 feet away from your home. NEVER run a generator in an enclosed space such as a garage or basement. Proper ventilation is a key safety practice.
- Turn off the generator and wait 20 minutes for it to cool down before refueling.
- Purchase $20 carbon monoxide alarms to alert you to any dangerous buildup of gas.
The Seminole County Fire Department frequently responds to calls about improper generator use following a storm and urges all residents to prioritize safety when operating them.
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