SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20170126-751A3-1626984. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: Generac OH4653 (Generac generator, 20 kw, fueled by propane gas, that "exercises" once a week and automatically goes on when the electrical power is interrupted. Model # OH4653 Serial # 859349911306). Incident: We live on the [REDACTED] a sparsely populated area of the State. We have a whole house Generac generator, 20 kw, fueled by propane gas, that �exercises� once a week and automatically goes on when the electrical power Is interrupted. It was installed by a certified Generac Installer who is also a certified electrician. On Wednesday, January 4, 2017 at about the time the generator was due to exercise there was a considerable explosion and a fire ensued. We as owners, were not home at the time but we had cleaning people In the house who heard the noise, could not find a reason for the explosion in the house, so looked outside and saw the fire. They were able to alert maintenance workers who were in the area, who came to the house and using an outdoor garden hose, put out the fire. Eventually the local volunteer fire department arrived on the scene, using a chemical extinguisher, sprayed the generator, shut off the propane gas to the house and the generator and as a precaution entered the house and threw several circuit breakers. They are in the process of preparing a report. Fortunately the extent of the damage was limited to the generator itself. After visits from the propane gas supplier, the certified installer and from talking with a neighbor In this same area, we learned that ours in not an isolated incident and are concerned that other generator owners who have this same type of generator may be at risk.