After recently reporting on smart meter-related fires in Australia, Canada, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Florida, the latest reports are coming out of Nevada.  This appears to be a continuation of the “Domino Effect” described at this website in late August.

As reported by the Reno-Gazette-Journal on September 13^th:

“The Reno and Sparks fire chiefs are asking the Public Utilities Commission (PUC)  to investigate the safety of smart meters installed by NV Energy on homes throughout the state in the wake of a troubling spate of blazes they believe are associated with the meters, including one recent fire that killed a 61-year-old woman.”

The utility company (NV Energy) maintains that the death of the woman in late July is not related to a smart meter, yet a forensic expert hired by the City of Reno wrote that the smart meter cannot be ruled out as the source of blaze and claims that:

“Data tends to suggest the meter may have failed.”

Below is a news report regarding the woman who died as a result of a fire on July 27, 2014 and a follow-up report regarding the requested investigation by the Nevada PUC.

[The above video contains material used pursuant to Fair Use Doctrine under 17 U.S.C. 107 and is presented in the public’s interest for non-commercial purposes.]

Although the definitive cause of the Reno, Nevada fire-related death remains in dispute, the Fire Chiefs from both Reno and Sparks, Nevada said they have become increasingly concerned by the number of blazes that appear related to the smart meters.

Of the nine fires in Reno and Sparks that appear to be linked to the smart meters, seven resulted in minor property damage.  But one of the fires in Reno burned a man’s face.  The meter burst into flames when he flipped a breaker switch, scorching him.  He put out the flames with a fire extinguisher and was treated at a local hospital.

The forensic investigator that examined the Rhinestone Circle smart meter (where a fire resulted in a death) also examined three more smart meters associated with fires in Reno and Sparks.  He found evidence that each of the three meters—one from Reno on Arletta Drive and two from Sparks—failed.  “It is probable the Arletta meter did fail, resulting in the ignition of the fire,” wrote the investigator.

Fire officials say that smart meter fires are particularly concerning because they start on the outside of the house, won’t be picked up by indoor smoke detectors, and can escape immediate notice.  “The occupants inside may not even be aware the house is on fire.  This is very alarming to me,” said Sparks Fire Chief Tom Garrison.

NV Energy utility representatives generally won’t even use the term “fire.”  They state that the company has responded to 70 “consumed meters” since first installing them, describing a consumed smart meter as one that has had its plastic casing “melted or breached and there can be soot.”

Fire Chief Garrison said it’s difficult to tell homeowners how to react at this point:

“I would say be very aware, very vigilant about any type of potential electrical problem they might see in their home,” he said.  “If you noticed any burned electrical panel, any smoke, even if it’s small, wispy smoke, if the meter is extremely hot, or you hear a noise or see any arcing, call 911 and the fire department will come out and ensure the meter is properly checked.”

SkyVision Solutions has a simple and safe solution.  Get rid of all smart meters.  Let’s do it for the sake of life and property (as well as piece of mind).

Update from the Nevada State Fire Marshal:  “Smart Meters Warrant Investigation”

In an updated article from the Reno-Gazette-Journal on September 16th: 

“Almost two years after he issued a report finding ‘no systemic fire problem’ associated with NV Energy’s installation of smart meters on homes across the state, Nevada Fire Marshal Peter Mulvihill said new information has come to light that warrants further investigation into whether the meters are safe.

Mulvihill acknowledged that the data he relied on to determine that NV Energy’s smart meters did not pose a fire threat was incomplete, but said his findings were valid at the time.

This year, Mulvihill said his office has received two reports each from Reno and Sparks in which investigators ‘conclusively found the meter to be the origin.'”

New Update: RGJ Editorial on ‘Investigation of Smart Meter Fires Needed’

In an editorial posted by the Reno-Gazette-Journal on September 17^th, the paper stated:

“Late last week, fire chiefs in Reno and Sparks asked the Public Utilities Commission, which oversees NV Energy, to look into recent fires involving the meters.  Then on Monday, State Fire Marshal Peter Mulvihill, who previously found that the meters were safe, said new evidence had come to light that justified a new investigation. …

In the most recent fire, a 61-year-old Reno woman died from the burns she suffered in a townhouse fire that damaged the meter so badly that investigators couldn’t determine the exact source of the fire.  According to the fire departments, nine recent fires have been centered on the meters, although they don’t know whether the meter was the cause.  That distinction may be meaningful to fire investigators but not to homeowners who only want to know whether the meters are safe. …

Nor have the fires been confined to Reno-Sparks.

The EMF Safety Network has compiled a long list of fires linked to smart meters around the U.S. and Canada. …

In Oklahoma, a law firm is seeking smart meter opponents for a class-action suit ‘to counter the growing cancer of Smart Meters. …’

That strongly suggests that the opposition that arose when the meters first were proposed in Nevada hasn’t eased yet, and those fires are providing additional ammunition to those who want the meters gone. …

[RGJ] VIEW:  The state fire marshal’s office must conduct a prompt investigation to ensure that NV Energy’s customers are protected.”

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Source Material for this Blog Article:

“Reno, Sparks Fire Chiefs Call for Smart Meter Probe,” at http://www.rgj.com/story/news/2014/09/13/reno-sparks-fire-chiefs-call-smart-meter-probe/15580069/.

“Rhinestone Circle Fire Victim Dies in Hospital,” at http://www.mynews4.com/news/local/story/Rhinestone-Circle-fire-victim-dies-in-hospital/dHlyzshLm0Wr-sjs_OxsQQ.cspx

“Some Area Fires Possibly Linked to NV Energy Smart Meters,” at http://www.ktvn.com/story/26539174/some-area-fires-possibly-linked-to-nv-energy-smart-meters

“Nevada Fire Marshal: Smart Meters Warrant Investigation,” at http://www.rgj.com/story/news/2014/09/15/state-fire-marshal-smart-meters-warrant-investigation/15698635/

“Editorial: Investigation of Smart Meter Fires Needed,” at: http://www.rgj.com/story/opinion/editorials/2014/09/18/editorial-investigation-smart-meter-fires-needed/15801341/

“Smart Meter Concerns Grow,” at:  http://www.rgj.com/story/news/2014/09/19/coming-sunday-smart-meter-concerns-grow/15908791/.

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Addendum:

As an additional reminder of the havoc that can be caused by smart meters, a new video clip has been composed by SkyVision Solutions in order to give a better account regarding a fire from February 6, 2014, where there is no doubt that a smart meter was the direct cause of an apartment building fire in Pennsylvania.  Also, this fire was caused by a Landis smart meter, not one by Sensus.  See below.

[The above video contains material used pursuant to Fair Use Doctrine under 17 U.S.C. 107 and is presented in the public’s interest for non-commercial purposes.]