Montgomery County Fire Rescue Services (MCFRS) was alerted to an exterior fire in the 51000 block of Fairglen Lane in Bethesda Chevy Chase on the evening of April 18.
When responders arrived on scene, they found a small fire outside a single-family home. MCFRS was able to quickly extinguish the fire without causing any casualties.
Responders indicated that the fire started in an electrical box connected to the house. The SUPCO surge protector has failed.
SUPCO issued a recall of surge protectors in 2019 after faulty models led to five house fires in Cary, North Carolina. The recalled models were identified as a Type 2, a SUPCO Model SCM150, and a Sycom Model SYC-120/240-T2.
The devices, manufactured by Sycom Surge, Inc., were sold between 2010 and 2014. It had a three-year warranty, which has since expired.
UL, a global safety consulting and certification company, deemed surge protectors a fire hazard in 2016.
SUPCO’s no-cost exchange offer has expired, but homeowners should still check and replace surge protectors of this type.
Update – Fairglen Lane, exterior electrical fire, @MontgomeryCoMD responded @mcfrs, Fire involving an electrical box connected to the house, Note: Surge protectors have a recall (for fires) https://t.co/ih7SoLHefV pic.twitter.com/OXBsZnPQ5z
— Pete Beringer (@mcfrsPIO) April 28, 2022
