"It blew up like a bomb. It spattered all over."

Published by Dick Schaefer, Award-winning, Unpaid, Part-time Contributing Writer; Amateur Investigative Reporter; and Aspiring Photo-Journalist

Date:  1/3/2011
Post:  1,398

Here's a report out of Hornell, NY which I thought our readers would be interested to read.  I've had CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs installed throughout my homes for years, and I have never experienced what a family experienced recently in Hornell.

If any of our readers have ever experienced an explosion of a CFL bulb, please let us know.

http://www.eveningtribune.com/newsnow/x1882979636/Compact-fluorescent-light-bulb-to-blame-for-Hornell-fire

Compact fluorescent light bulb to blame for Hornell fire

The Evening Tribune (NY)
Andrew Poole
Dec 23, 2010 @ 09:50 AM

Hornell, N.Y. — A compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) is to blame for an accidental electrical fire in Hornell Wednesday morning, said Steuben County Fire Investigator Joe Gerych.

“"Those are the lights everybody's been telling us to use," he said. “"It blew up like a bomb. It spattered all over."

A CFL on the ceiling burst, said Gerych, and gas inside the CFL bulb helped start the fire. He added exploding CFLs are rare.

The North Hornell Fire Department responded to a call from the McNeill residence, 7185 N. Main St. Ext., Hornellsville, a little before 7 a.m. Wednesday, said North Hornell Fire Chief Mike Robbins.

The department arrived minutes later and extinguished the fire in about 15 minutes, said Robbins. The fire didn't spread beyond the room of origin. Robbins said the room where the fire started, and everything in the room, was destroyed in the blaze. The rest of the house suffered smoke and water damage.

The Arkport Village Fire Department and Steuben County Sheriff's deputies also responded. Deputies said a mother, two children, and several pets were in the house when the fire started. There were no injuries.

The fire department did a good job limiting the damage, said Robbins.

“"It was a good response. We contained it to one room. There was smoke damage throughout the house. But there wasn't as much water damage as I thought there would be. It could have been much worse,"” he said.

State Police Inv. Don Rodbourn said there won't be charges if the fire is ruled accidental.

The Tribune published a story in Tuesday's newspaper warning of some of the dangers of using compact fluorescent light bulbs.

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