CASS COUNTY, MO (KCTV) - Crews spent almost five hours battling a fire that fully engulfed a home in rural Harrisonville on Thursday.

By 10 p.m. what was left of the house was smoldering. It's now down to its foundation.

The distraught homeowner arrived some hours later. Jim Burch said he lost his job earlier in the week, and had gone to pick up his last paycheck. When he came home, his home was destroyed.

Burch said his shih tzu, his daughter's dog, and two cats died in the fire.

"It's hard to know what to think," Burch said. "You're kind of in shock. You start realizing all your records and pictures and heirlooms are just gone, and there's now way to get them back."

Burch's house is at East 299th Street and South Hess Road in Cass County. It's just west of Interstate 49.

The Cass County Sheriff's Office says a neighbor called in the fire. The homeowner wasn't there when the fire broke out, and officials contacted him to let him know what had happened.

There was so much fire. We really couldn't get ahead of it, said Harrisonville fire Capt. Johnny Coday.

Central Cass Fire Protection District worked to extinguish the flames which were seen shooting from every inch of the home. Two to three mutual aid companies were also on the scene to help.

The home was fully involved. The front part had already collapsed into the basement, Coday said.

More here:
Missouri man loses job, house in one week

This article explains the basics of home electrical wiring and its symbols. There is also a simple guide on what to check at the end of the post.

However, this is a long article. If you can see what you are looking for at the RELATED ARTICLES section below, you may want to visit that post first.

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RELATED ARTICLES:

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If you come again to this post in future, you may find that the above RELATED ARTICLES section have more titles added to the list.

I am currently re-constructing this blog to make it more presentable and to add more content to it. The original article below is too long and too messy. Many visitors just click away thinking that they will not find the contents they were looking for here.

So I am now posting small topics of the content s that have been covered by the original post. It will take some time and many small posts to cover it all because it is a really long post.

However, if you wish you can still read the original article below:

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Electrical Installations: Home electrical wiring, symbols ...

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A man died late Monday night after flames swept through his home near the Fair Park area of Dallas. It happened at around 10:30 p.m. in the 4000 block of Spring Avenue, and family members said that his recently upgraded electric meter might be to blame.

The family actually owns three homes in a row on this street. It was the home in the middle that caught on fire, killing a beloved elderly man. Flames and smoke were shooting out of the front of the structure when firefighters first arrived on the scene.

Emergency crews quickly extinguished the flames and found the body of 74-year-old James Humphrey Jr. inside of the burned single-story home. Fire investigators are now working to determine the cause of the blaze.

James Humphrey Jr. (credit: BreAshia Johnson)

Alfreda Johnson is the victims cousin, and she believes that she already knows the cause of the fire. Workers upgraded the electric meter on the home just three weeks ago. These people keep coming out here, doing what they want to do to these old houses, she said.

Dallas Fire-Rescue investigators are taking Johnsons claims seriously. The new smart meter was located on the outside of the house by a front bedroom, where the heaviest damage occurred and where the man was found dead.

(credit: Elizabeth Dinh/KTVT/KTXA)

And this is not the first time that such an incident has happened to this family. There was a fire at Johnsons own home back in 2011. Caught on fire due to a smart meter, she added. They told me it caught on fire from the meter. Nothing was ever done about it.

Oncor issued a statement regarding the fire.

Excerpt from:
Family Blames Smart Meter For Fatal Fire

Utopia, Texas (PRWEB) February 03, 2015

Mazurek Service and Repair, a full service electrical company serving the Utopia and San Antonio areas, has announced that it is changing its name to SharpLine Home Services. The decision to change the company name after 23 years of business came from SharpLines vision to offer a broader range of services, and become a one-stop-shop for area homeowners.

Established in 1991, SharpLine Home Services offers customers in the San Antonio, Utopia, and surrounding areas with a variety of electrical services, including lighting, wiring, remodeling, inspections and more. SharpLine also supplies homeowners throughout the state of Texas with generators, and employs licensed technicians to complete installations.

We are investing heavily in the future of our company, exploring new goals and a more targeted vision for our brand, said David Mazurek, owner of SharpLine Home Services. As a home services company, SharpLine is changing the way we deliver customer satisfaction by planning to expand the services we offer, maintaining an affordable rate, and improving overall quality.

Recognized as a top electrician in the San Antonio area, SharpLine Home Services hopes the name change will reflect an upcoming evolution of the company, its services, and its customer base. SharpLine plans to continue offering added value through customized home services solutions, but on a larger scale than before.

We are going to aim higher in 2015 to deliver incomparable and reliable service to homeowners and businesses throughout the region, said Mazurek. SharpLine Home Services is committed to offering a quality, multi-faceted customer experience, providing superior work and service on every project we complete.

About SharpLine Home Services SharpLine Home Services is a full service electrical company serving the San Antonio and Utopia areas of Texas. SharpLine offers commercial and residential customers quality, expertise, and professional service with anything from basic repairs to more complex electrical design and installation projects. The companys services cover lighting, wiring, tenant improvements, renovations and remodeling, exterior and landscape lighting, retrofits, generators, and more. For more information, call 210-526-9811 or visit http://www.msrelectric.com.

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For additional information, contact: Heather Ripley Ripley PR hripley (at) ripleypr (dot) com 865-977-1973

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After 23 Years in Business, Electrical Company Changes Name

Here you'll find home electrical wiring diagrams, wiring photos and many illustrations related to residential wiring. Home wiring consists of a lot of different wire sizes, cables, breakers, switches, and outlets.

We'll take it a step at a time and make residential wiring completely understandable. The most important thing to observe about electrical installations is safety. Never work on energized circuits. It's always a good idea when working on an energized system to put some red electrical tape over the breaker switch when it's in the off position. (Just in case another person animal or such decides to throw the switch while you are working on that circuit)

Home electrical wiring covers a lot of different things such as the breaker box panel, home lighting, appliances and other high voltage electrical systems. Circuit runs and how to use Romex cable for lights and outlets are also included.

It also covers low voltage systems like phone systems, doorbells, computer networks and home security systems as part of the wiring process.

I got my electrical training as an apprentice because I wanted to become an electrician.

Later I learned about electric theory from a technical college as I applied it to telecommunications and residential electrical wiring. I went into electronics training because I was tired of working outside in the harsh weather. My very first job after trade school was a cozy indoor job working on computer networking

communication lines. According to my luck, that same job switched from T1 data lines to satellite wireless systems and I found myself working on the roof tops out in the cold again for another 11 years. Anyway, that's the life of electrical technicians.

From start to finish, I will address the Electrical installation in its many aspects and components, starting with wiring the service entrance.

Then I'll give a breakdown on cables and wiring for a better understanding of how electricity is used. It's also necessary to have a good understanding of breakers and fuses to prevent overloads. Simple lighting circuits are easy to install, yet still need a small level of skill. Complex lighting circuits take a little head-scratching to figure out, but I've made some good diagrams of these.

The big bad boys that need special attention are the dedicated high-voltage circuits. These need to be done correctly.

Read this article:
Diagram electrical wiring - make my own house

Your blueprints come with a house wiring diagram that takes the guess work out of locating circuits and breakers.

Here are some common electrical home wiring diagrams that are used a lot in new home construction. There is also a thorough explanation on cable sizes, breakers, outlets, switches and much more in home wiring.

This mess of wires is comical, but real. You certainly don't want your home wiring to look like this. That's why a good house wiring diagram is necessary to keep it all organized.

Please use caution when working with electricity. There is never any reason to be working on energized circuits!

***Remember, even though the codes I talk about here are from the National Electrical Code book, your local codes take take priority. Your electrical inspector can help you with your local codes.***

Often times I find people who are reluctant to do their own electrical wiring. I always respect that. The truth is that if you or a licensed electrician does the wiring, it still has to be approved by an electrical inspector before the power can be turned on.

I rest well at nights knowing that my electrical wiring was carefully inspected and then approved.

OK, so there's a buttload of stuff to cover on the electrical house-wiring-diagram part of smaller home construction. I'll start off with the basics. At the bottom of this page I will put many links to each aspect of home electrical wiring.

Diagrams really help a lot. I will use several examples of house-wiring-diagram illustrations like this one.

Visit link:
home wiring diagram for different home electrical circuits

Winter Weather Advisoryissued February 1 at 3:42PM EST expiring February 2 at 1:00AM EST in effect for: Kent

Winter Weather Advisoryissued February 1 at 3:42PM EST expiring February 2 at 7:00AM EST in effect for: Cecil

Winter Weather Advisoryissued January 31 at 2:57PM EST expiring February 2 at 8:00AM EST in effect for: Adams, Bedford, Franklin, Fulton, Lancaster, Somerset, York

Winter Weather Advisoryissued February 1 at 12:53PM EST expiring February 2 at 8:00AM EST in effect for: Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Washington

Winter Weather Advisoryissued February 1 at 3:37AM EST expiring February 2 at 8:00AM EST in effect for: Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick

Winter Weather Advisoryissued February 1 at 4:33AM EST expiring February 2 at 7:00AM EST in effect for: Cecil, Kent

Winter Storm Watchissued January 31 at 9:33AM EST expiring February 2 at 12:00PM EST in effect for: Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, Somerset, York

Winter Storm Watchissued January 31 at 8:48AM EST expiring February 2 at 12:00PM EST in effect for: Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, York

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11-year-old girl dies of smoke inhalation

BLOOMINGDALE - In announcing yesterday's arrest of a 25-year-old man allegedly found with heroin, authorities said the suspect is connected to the burglary and theft of a vacant home on Van Dam Avenue, which was found stripped of wiring and plumbing fixtures.

In a press release, Patrolman Daniel Fletcher reported that the Detective Bureau conducted an investigation that led to the arrest of Joseph Connell, of an undisclosed town, on charges of burglary, theft, and heroin possession. When arrested on Friday, Jan. 30, police said, Connell was in possession of five glassine envelopes of heroin.

Fletcher said that Detective/Sgt. Steven Caputo and Patrolman David Terpstra had developed info during another investigation that led them to charge Connell in connection with the burglary of a home under construction on Van Dam Avenue.

The municipal court judge set bail at $10,000, with a 10-percent option, which Connell was able to post through a family member.

Patrolman Daniel Greenwood also assisted with the arrest.

-Donna Rolando

"Police news" is compiled by Suburban Trends from information provided by the police department. The information is released to the press at the discretion of the police department and may not represent the total scope of police activity. All persons are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

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Bloomingdale police: Vacant home burglary suspect had heroin

Published: Saturday, January 31, 2015 at 5:12 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, January 31, 2015 at 5:12 p.m.

OCALA -- Four structure fires in less than 24 hours kept Marion County Fire Rescue firefighters busy throughout the county.

The fires began Friday at 5:30 p.m. and concluded before noon Saturday, according to spokeswoman Jessica Greene Fuchs. Of the four fires, no one was injured. However, a family dog died in one of the blazes, the spokesperson said.

The first fire was reported in Ocklawaha at 5:30 p.m. Friday at 10451 SE 132nd Place involving a grease fire that was contained to the kitchen.

On Saturday, the first of three fires occurred in Ocklawaha at 10230 SE 464C at 9:08 a.m., where 16 firefighters battled a mobile home fire. The blaze was put out before 9:30 a.m. Officials think faulty electrical wiring may be the cause of that fire.

Firefighters also went to 6055 NW 125th Street Road in Reddick, where residents woke up smelling smoke in the 2,500-square-foot home and ran outside. The garage was engulfed and flames spread to the home.

More than 20 firefighters responded to the fire. Officials said the roof was considered unstable, and firefighters who were inside backed out for their safety. They searched for the family dog, which later was found deceased.

Another fire was at 17620 SE 81st Timberwood Terrace in The Villages. That fire started in the homes electrical box, officials said. The homeowners prevented the fire from spreading by turning off the electricity. Firefighters checked the walls to make sure the fire didnt get inside, and the fire hadnt spread anywhere else.

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Four structure fires keep firefighters busy

Marion County firefighters had a busy Saturday morning, battling two blazes within minutes of each other, officials said.

There was also a fire on Friday evening.

No injuries were reported but a dog died, officials said.

The first fire on Saturday was just after 9 a.m. in the 10000 block of SE 464C in Ocklawaha. The mobile home was about 25 percent involved when crew arrived on scene, officials said. Firefighters were able to get the blaze under control within minutes. No one was home at the time of the fire, which is believed to be caused by faulty wiring.

About 9:20 a.m., crews were called to a fire in the 6000 block of NW 125 Street in Reddick after homeowners said they woke up to smelling smoke. When fire crews arrived the garage was fully engulfed in flames and the house was about 20 percent involved, officials said.

More than 20 firefighters battled the fire. At first crews went inside, but because the roof threatened to cave in, they pulled back.

The 2,500-square-foot home was considered a total loss. The family dog was found dead in the home.

The state fire marshal was called in to investigate the fire.

On Friday evening, firefighters responded to a grease fire in Ocklawaha. The fire was put out before it extended beyond the kitchen.

dharris@tribune.com or 407-420-5471

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Dog dies in Marion County house fire