SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20230225-25CAD-2147349360. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: not legible E177718, Type:YY-6Z (6-outlet wall tao). Incident: I had a 6-outlet-wall-tap with a smart plug and space heater plugged-in to it in the bathroom. Before I went on vacation, I unplugged the smart plug and space heater. I discovered the 6-outlet-wall-tap and smart plug had partially melted and had burn marks, even though they were still working normally. I suspect the prongs of wall tap receptacle which hold the plug were not tight. Loose connections could cause arcing and/or a high resistance that can get hot. There are burn marks on the metal prong of the smart plug that suggest arcing occurred. Even though the 6-outlet-wall-tap had a [REDACTED], it is not safe and should be recalled. Although the National Electrical Code does require GFCIs in bathrooms, it does not require Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters for bathrooms. GFCIs do not detect arcing faults. Had I not incidentally discovered the melted parts which were hidden from view, the condition would have persisted and could have caused a fire and burned down my house.