Degraded Connection Causes Small Fire in RV Park

Location: Christina Lake
Regulated industry sector: Electrical – Low voltage electrical system (30V to 1000V)

Incident overview

In an RV park, a conductor junction failed, resulting in a short circuit between the conductor junction component and the enclosure which was bonded to the ground. The arcing created a hole in the junction box, allowing molten metal to drop onto the grass below, which ignited. Upon investigation, unapproved mechanical conductors were found along with insufficient non-oxidizing compounds on the aluminum connections. During the incident, as RV owners plugged into the receptacle, the large electrical load affected the already compromised conductor junction.