2. Fires in electrical installations

2.1 Characteristics of electrical fires

A distinction must be made between :

• fires caused by electrical equipment or installations;

• fires originating outside the plant, but involving it in the process.

While the effects are identical from a certain possible stage of development onwards, the means of detection and protection on the one hand, and of control on the other, may differ in whole or in part. Only the first case is discussed here. To start and spread, a fire requires the presence of combustible materials, an oxidizer (air) and an ignition process (heat). In addition to construction materials, electrical installations contain elements that are conducive to fire...