An investigation into a home fire in Northville Township played a significant role in a national recall of electric ranges, potentially preventing fires across the country.
Earlier this month, representatives of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) attended a meeting of the board of trustees to express thanks to the township fire department for the July 2023 investigation of a home fire, which led to a recall of ovens which were involved in 250 fires, 18 of which caused extensive property damage and 40 injuries.
The Northville Township fire was caused when one of two family dogs accidentally struck a button on the electric stove, turning on the appliance which then set fire to an air fryer on top of the appliance. Investigators recreated the ease of turning on the stove knob which led to the fire and then discovered other complaints about the same situation online. That investigation prompted a review of the stove safety during a year-long investigation by the CPSC and led to a national recall of more than 1.1 million Samsung slide-in electric ranges which had been sold at Best Buy, Costco, The Home Depot, Lowe’s and other appliance stores from May 2013 through August 2024.
“We are so grateful for the work that Deputy Fire Chief Tom Hughes, Capt. Phil Sutherland and the team at Northville did to get the ball rolling, to bring this to our attention and to keep Northville and our whole country safe,” said Becky Barnhart, a CPSC supervisory product safety investigator, who attended the meeting with colleague Produce Safety Investigator Yolanda Tiano.
They presented Hughes and Sutherland, the incident commander on the fire, with a certificate and challenge coin to further express the gratitude of the organization.
Hughes noted every fire undergoes a similar investigation to determine its origin and cause.
“Many people believe this is solely to address cases of arson or criminal activity; however, our investigations go beyond that, focusing on all potential factors involved, to prevent future fires,” he said.
That’s because Community Risk Reduction, also known as fire prevention, is one of the pillars of the department.
“This is a success story because we helped prevent possible future fires. It’s part of the things we do above and beyond to protect those around us.”
