News Forum - Communication cables set fire in Bangkok

[Thaiger]

At around 7am this morning, communication cables set alight causing a big fire in Bangkok. The fire occurred at Soi Lad Phrao 111 in Khlong Chan subdistrict, Bang Kapi district. No injuries were reported. Firefighters from Hua Mak Fire Station received a notification of the fire at 7:21am and rushed to the scene. The firefighters successfully extinguished the fire. When messy overhead communication wires set alight, cables snap and burning hot plastic swings through the air, becoming hazardous very quickly. Luckily no injuries were reported this time. Unfortunately, communication cable fires happen regularly in Thailand, causing injuries, power cuts and […]

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[ThePatriat]

Either cleanup the Rats Nest of Wires or Expect more Rats Nest Bundled Fire from Nature in Frustration of the Massive Mess Human Made and Nature is Complaint Now !!! So call out the clean crews to fix the problem before this problem.gets to far out of had and the fire department can't get chemicals to extinguish the scene of Massive Fire like a "Barbeque or Bon Fire"

[Malc-Thai]

Be interested to know how communication cables catch fire! especially when they are low voltage..

[palooka]

3 minutes ago, Malc-Thai said:

Be interested to know how communication cables catch fire! especially when they are low voltage..

Been told that they are aluminium based wires, so low melting point which  may be good in colder climates but not here with the temperatures and the way they bunch them together.

Had a few of these fires locally, AIS came through recently and added more wires and we had a fire a few days  later, so maybe some truth in it.

[Stevejm]

6 hours ago, palooka said:

Been told that they are aluminium based wires, so low melting point which  may be good in colder climates but not here with the temperatures and the way they bunch them together.

Had a few of these fires locally, AIS came through recently and added more wires and we had a fire a few days  later, so maybe some truth in it.

I wouldn’t have thought that comms cables carry enough power to cause a fire. They are typically 48V and low current so even if there is a short circuit the fault level isn’t very high. They are considered a safe low voltage

https://www.secamerica.com/48v-dc-for-telecommunications-powering-an-industry/

I would have thought that 230V power cables ( particularly unauthorized ones)running through the mess of cables are a more likely source of the ignition and the resulting fire ignited the comms cables. Obviously the solution is to sort out the mess of cables which takes time especially if you want to put them underground.I know MEA has started a program to put power cables underground starting with some HV cables but the project is huge and will take years to complete. A quick fix might be to risk assess the cable “nests” and move power cables where they are a problem. Part of the problem is that the different cables belong to many companies and some cables are unused so assigning responsibility is often unclear. I am pretty sure that the communication cables used would have been made here and rated to suit the climate so I don’t think that’s a factor. Age and damage are more likely causes I think.

[Skip]

Maybe instead of trying to reinvent the wheel... Thailand should look to other countries which have cleaned up their wire problem and follow suit... it's not a new problem.

[cockneyboy]

there was a wire fire yesterday morning in Ban chang, rayong, looking at the photo's online it looks like communication cables, a bit low for electric cables and no 'transformer' anywhere near, i will try and dig out the photo's

[Stevejm]

2 hours ago, Skip said:

Maybe instead of trying to reinvent the wheel... Thailand should look to other countries which have cleaned up their wire problem and follow suit... it's not a new problem.

Other countries put them underground which is what Thailand  is doing. It’s still a problem in many countries especially in older parts of cities. Much easier to put them underground when building new areas. See below for an example in Kyoto

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-japan-kyoto-gion-typical-narrow-city-street-cluttered-with-overhead-84018344.html

[Malc-Thai]

16 hours ago, palooka said:

Been told that they are aluminium based wires, so low melting point which  may be good in colder climates but not here with the temperatures and the way they bunch them together.

Had a few of these fires locally, AIS came through recently and added more wires and we had a fire a few days  later, so maybe some truth in it.

I understand what your saying but High voltage electricity cables are mostly aluminium with a plastic coating..communication are normally copper from less resistance at low voltage..on high voltage I can understand when the plastic breaks and allows electrical leaks (you can hear buzzing) but low voltage communication cables just don't carry a high enough voltage or amps to cause a fire.. it must be high voltage cables next to communication cables causing this.. 

[Stevejm]

12 minutes ago, Malc-Thai said:

I understand what your saying but High voltage electricity cables are mostly aluminium with a plastic coating..communication are normally copper from less resistance at low voltage..on high voltage I can understand when the plastic breaks and allows electrical leaks (you can hear buzzing) but low voltage communication cables just don't carry a high enough voltage or amps to cause a fire.. it must be high voltage cables next to communication cables causing this.. 

Exactly standard comms voltage is 48VDC but the available current is so low that they could never catch fire even if shorted or faulted to ground. This is demonstrated if you touch a live phone wire you get a tingle but if you touch a 230V wire…. ( don’t try at home but trust me you know about it). I suspect illicit power cables for many of these fires like ones you sometimes see going to street vendors from a shop.