Power strips even for about $3 in Home Depot and Walmart
have the so important 15 amp circuit breaker. This fire was
not possible if that circuit breaker kept tripping.

However many plug-in surge protector are so overpriced as to
not even include that circuit breaker. Power strip surge
protectors take that $3 power strip, remove the circuit
breaker, install some $0.10 components, then sell for $15 or
$30. The only important component in a power strip is that
circuit breaker - just for reasons described.

Also being required to avoid similar problems from a
different failure are arc fault circuit breakers. Some power
strips don't fail from overloading. They fail from traffic on
or damage to the wire. For example, a bed support crushes the
wire causing a fire. So the question really is whether the
power strip was overloaded or some other failure caused same
power strip fire.

Bottom line remains - the deaths were avoidable and
unnecessary. Question is but how these deaths could have been
avoided.

indago wrote:
There is a sad story in the Detroit News about a Hispanic family that was
lost in a fire that didn't have to happen. The only one left in the family
is the father, who was at work when this happened. His wife and five
children were all lost to the fire. The family was using one of those plug
strips that has four or five outlets on them and a short extension cord
about 5 feet long. It was plugged into the wall and the stereo, TV
entertainment center items, lamp, and window air-conditioner were all
plugged into the outlets in the plug strip. All of the other items would
have been OK, but to add the window air-conditioner to the plug strip, that
has a cord probably capable of carrying 12 amps, was just too much for the
plug strip and the cord got hot and melted the insulation and started a fire
behind the couch, then up the wall, and trapped all inside and they died of
smoke inhalation. The city was trying to fine a way to blame the owner of
the house, who had a few other properties in Detroit rented out, but such
carelessness was not the responsibility of the landlord. He didn't ask
anyone to plug in a plug strip and then overload it beyond its capacity.
Just because it has 5 outlets on it doesn't mean that you can plug in the
toaster, microwave, refrigerator, electric frying pan, and coffeemaker all
at the same time and expect everything to work OK.

I wrote this here so that anyone who does have a similar plug strip in their
home can examine what is plugged into it and make some calculations and put
their hand on the cord to see if it is warm. The strip will handle things
like a computer, printer, and other computer related peripherals, or a TV
entertainment and stereo equipment center, but check periodically to see how
the cord is doing. Don't let such a tragedy befall your family.