Multi-plug power board possible fire source

There are no outward signs of damage at Awanui's Mana Kai Honey Whare, but Saturday's fire destroyed a large quantity of honey.

A multi-plug power board and a dehumidifier are the major suspects in a fire that destroyed a large quantity of honey at Awanui's Mana Kai Honey Whare last week.

When it comes to starting fires, power boards have something of a history, says fire investigator Craig Bain.

He said he had investigated at least 10 such fires during the past 12 months, adding that many people did not appreciate the potential risks of using them.

After five years of use, they should be discarded, while it was very much the case that cheap really could be nasty.

"The better ones are more expensive and are more likely to have in-built surge protection. They don't all have that."

Boards should also be discarded if power plugs did not fit into them snugly - "That's a bad sign" - and should be kept clean (free of dust) and not overloaded.

"They don't have to be overloaded to malfunction but they often are," he said.

"You might have one that powers the TV, DVD player, PlayStation and Sky and then come winter you plug in a heater as well and you could have problems."

Sera Grubb, who owns the Mana Kai Honey Whare with partner Bobby Leef, said the power board that potentially sparked the blaze had definitely not been overloaded, and only connected to two appliances.

Nor had it been dusty or wet, but she wasn't taking any chances of a repeat.

A multi-plug power board that had provided power for two work stations and a fridge in the office had been replaced with separate power points.

Mr Bain added that multi-plug power boards, and any electrical appliance, should have their cords cut off before being taken to the dump, in case anyone else was tempted to recycle and use them.