Switch off your television or risk a fire

THE Fire Service gave a clear warning to the public yesterday to switch their televisions off after use. Fire Service spokesman Stelios Stylianou highlighted that the TV ‘standby’ function was one of the biggest causes of household fires and extremely dangerous.

The warning comes after a fire broke out in a two-storey apartment in Makedonitissa on Monday, causing £30,000 in damages and putting at risk a 13-year-old boy who spotted the fire while on the upper floor.

Stylianou told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that the fire had been caused by a short circuit in the television set, which was left on standby, after the ‘off’ switch got jammed.

“You must always switch the TV off from the main button on the box, not from the remote control. If you leave it on standby for hours or days or whatever, it can overheat and cause a short circuit,” said Stylianou.

“And if you are leaving the house for a long time, switch it off from the plug. The same goes for every electrical appliance,” he added.

The Fire Service has been warning the public for years that the ‘standby’ function on televisions is high-risk for fires.

“Two out of 10 cases of fire are caused by the television,” he said.

Other fire hazards include the wrong use of the multi-plug, with relevance to machines of very high voltage, and leaving the iron facedown on the ironing board while going to make a coffee.

Finally, Stylianou warned home improvement enthusiasts not to attempt electrical extensions without an electrician.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.