What To Do If TV Catches Fire?

Any household equipment, just like a TV can catch fire if it is overheated or if it catches short circuits. To avoid disastrous consequences, you need to know how to react. Keep in mind that the TV is connected to an electrical power source which is also dangerous. You must not panic in such situations but think carefully about what your next move is. Let’s figure out what to do if the TV catches fire and how to stop the spread of fire, and protect family and friends.

What To Do If TV Catches Fire?

So, What to Do If TV Catches Fire? The first thing that you need to do if your TV catches fire is to unplug it from the electric source. If you are unable to do that because the fire is too big, then you should turn off your home’s electricity by using the main electrical panel. After unplugging the TV, you can use water to turn it off.

Can Leaving a TV On Start a Fire?

Any electronic equipment, including the TV, can cause a fire if it is turned on. The cause of the fire can be a malfunction of some components inside the TV, which can lead to a fire. But even if all the electronic equipment inside the TV works normally, if it gets hot enough, the materials inside the TV can start a fire.

Therefore, it is definitely advisable to turn off all electronic equipment before leaving the house or going to bed. By doing this, you will save energy and be more confident that nothing will happen while you are gone.

What if you leave a TV on Standby? If you have a new modern TV, it has a programmed mode in which it switches itself off during standby, so there is no fire risk. Older TV models may have some risk (but it is very small) that a fire will occur while they are in standby mode.

What To Do if The Fire Has Already Started

Fire is a destructive element, at the sight of which people often fall into a stupor, and panic begins. Often the behavior becomes inadequate, which leads to casualties even in the event of a minor fire. Therefore, it is important to know what to do if the TV catches fire at home:

1. Do not panic. Evaluate the situation. Turn off the electricity supply to the house quickly. To do this, you need to get to the control panel and turn off the switch.
2. Collect water and fill the unplugged TV. You can fill in only from the side. This is a necessary security measure. The equipment can explode and fragments from the screen will fly forward, less to the side.
3. Open all windows. After extinguishing, open all windows and doors in the room in order to get rid of smoke as quickly as possible.
4. Warn all neighbors that your TV has burned out. The smell of smoke and burning can quickly spread to neighboring rooms. This causes attacks of suffocation and is bad for your health. Therefore, it is recommended that children and pensioners be the first to be taken out of the house to the street.

Important. Even in the event of a minor fire, it is necessary to evacuate your own children from the smoky premises. Moreover, preferably before extinguishing the fire. That is, do it first after turning off the power supply.

Ways How to Prevent Your TV to Catch Fire

• Every TV needs air to circulate, so ensure to place your TV in an open area.
• Don’t place clothes, brochures, newspapers, etc. on the TV.
• Avoid placing a candle or a lamp on top of the TV.
• Avoid putting a vase and other liquid objects on top of the TV.
• Don’t place the TV near flammable items such as curtains or other fabric.
• If you are going away from the room for a certain period of time, turn off your TV.

What Should You Do if Your TV is Emitting Smoke?

1. First thing you need to do is to unplug the TV.
2. If you notice smoke that is coming out from the TV, use a fire extinguisher. In case you don’t have one, put out the fire with water.
3. Next thing you need to do Is to call your local fire dept. (dial 911).
4. Never use a blanket or cushion to smother the flame on your TV. They can cause even greater damage and catch fire.

Indeed, before the appearance of a flame, an unpleasant characteristic smell of melting plastic or rubber begins to emanate from the TV. It is he who indicates that the ignition and burning of the wiring and melting parts has begun. In this situation, you urgently need to pull the equipment out of the network.

Important! Do not ignore extraneous odors. They can prevent a fire in an apartment or house. As soon as you sense that the TV may have burned out, turn off the power supply to the living area completely.

Can a TV Overheat?

Yes, even a TV can overheat! Overheating is a bad thing for every electronic device, especially for TV because it can damage an LCD screen. Some newer TV models have built-in chips that turn off the TV when the temperature reaches a certain level. On older TV models, it happens that the TV turns itself off during overheating because it can no longer work normally.

Why Does my Flat Screen TV Get so Hot?

Most LCD TVs are very thin, while the cabinet enclosure is relatively small. This is why the heat that is generated by the LED backlight and at the bottom side of the TV is more noticeable and it causes heat. The tip to reduce heat on your TV is to change the picture mode, or by decreasing the brightness which will lead to less power consumption.

Strange Smell Coming Out From Your TV

When you use TV after an extended period of time, the electronic components that are inside your TV warm-up and burn up the dust that then emits a strange odor. You can smell an identical smell when you turn on an electric heater that has not worked for a long time. So you don’t have to be afraid that something has broken down or that a breakdown has occurred.

Most Common Causes Where TV Can Catch Fire

These are the most common reasons why your TV may catch fire:

• Sudden power surges during a thunderstorm. They are especially dangerous in private houses, where it is recommended to turn off all household appliances from the sockets during bad weather.
• Improper use of electrical outlets. Many extension cords and plugs are inserted into one connector. Moreover, all devices are included. This leads to arcing of the wiring and fire equipment.
• Short circuit in the wiring. Depends on its period of use. It is recommended to regularly check the integrity of the wiring. Electricians are called for this. They are testing the network.
• The insulation of the wires is broken. This is the outer sheath of the cables, which protects the conductors from contact with the external environment. If you notice that the wire is bare, you must immediately isolate it when the electricity supply to the house is turned off.
• Disruption of ventilation on the TV. The appliance is installed close to the wall or there is a heat source behind it. As a result, the TV overheats, an internal short circuit occurs, which can lead to a fire.
• Long-term continuous operation of the equipment – for more than 1 day. Contacts and circuits heat up, burn out and can spark and cause a fire.

Important. To prevent a fire, remove in advance all the reasons why the TV can catch fire. Check the serviceability of the wiring, the location of the equipment. Monitor the duration of its work, especially the old CRT TV.

What to Do if Fire Spreads Rapidly

When TV catches fire, the initial action is to evacuate the room. But there are situations when the TV can explode, and the flame quickly passes to curtains and household items. In this case, you cannot extinguish yourself. All residents of the apartment must be quickly evacuated. If necessary, dampen towels with water and cover your face with them to prevent carbon monoxide from entering your lungs.

Important! Once you have taken your family out, you need to ensure the safety of your neighbors and call the fire department. While you are recruiting rescuers, knock on neighbors’ doors to reduce the risk of fatalities.

What to Do After a Fire

After the fire is extinguished on your TV, all residents are safe, and the smell of burning has disappeared from the apartment, you can start cleaning. Do the following steps:

1. Carefully collect and take out the remains of burnt equipment.
2. Get rid of soot.
3. Remove odors by long-term ventilation.
4. Wash all clothing and fabric items that absorb odors.
5. Make a general cleaning or renovation.

It would be advisable to have one empty room in the house where that TV could be taken away. If there is an opportunity to send relatives to friends for 2-3 days, you should use it.

Important! After the initial cleaning of a burnt-out TV set, you need to call an electrician. He will check all wiring to prevent re-ignition. Replace the sockets or make new ones if necessary.

Final Thoughts

Reading this article, we concluded that any material including TV if gets hot enough will catch fire. To prevent this from happening, you must always keep in mind that the TV must be turned off if it is not in use and that flammable objects (like candles and lamps) are not placed on it. I hope that by reading this article you have learned how to react properly if your TV catches fire.