PITTSBURG, Calif.

Modified wiring for an illegal marijuana grow operation was suspected to be the cause of a two-alarm fire that destroyed a house in Pittsburg early Thursday morning, a fire inspector said.

The fire at 2610 Tampico Drive was reported at 1:10 a.m., Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Inspector Vic Massenkoff said.

Firefighters found the second floor and attic of the two-story home engulfed in flames and worked outside to keep the blaze from spreading to two adjacent houses, Massenkoff said.

When firefighters tried to enter the house, the roof and ceiling collapsed and a second alarm was called. After about 80 minutes, they finally brought the fire under control.

Crews investigating the wreckage found the modified wiring for the illegal marijuana grow operation, which is suspected to be the cause of the fire, Massenkoff said.

Damage to the home, built in late 2012, was estimated at $400,000 and the home is considered a total loss. There was a sprinkler system inside but the water had been shut off so it was not activated.

No one was injured by the blaze, Massenkoff said.

A total of 35 firefighters responded, including ones from Pittsburg, Antioch, Bay Point, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill and Pacheco.

Fire officials are asking anyone who sees suspicious activity in unoccupied houses, including alterations such as bars on windows, people coming and going at unusual hours or aluminum foil covering windows, to report that to avoid fires from grow houses or hash oil labs.

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Illegal marijuana grow triggers cause of 2-alarm fire

A low-power, multiroom sensor network watches for drips and runs on a coin-cell battery.

Earlier this month, as Google was snatching up the smart-thermostat maker Nest for $3.2 billion, a lesser known home sensor company made its own announcement. SNUPI Technologies, a Seattle startup, said it had garnered $7.5 million in funding. That might be pocket change compared to the Nest deal, but it was a significant endorsement just ahead of SNUPIs first product launch: a low-power wireless sensor network called WallyHome that tracks humidity, water leaks, and temperature throughout a building.

There are already many home monitors on the market; some, such as Lowes Iris Home Management System and a water leak and flood sensor from General Electric, are even wirelessly networked. What makes WallyHome novel is its use of a low-power communication scheme that lets sensors send data back to an Internet-connected base station over significant distances and through obstructions like walls and floors while sipping power from a coin-cell battery.

SNUPI cofounder Gabe Cohn believes this long-distance, low-power approach will endear the product to homeowners who want a reliable sensor network that requires little maintenance and can be installed easily. The base station plugs into a wall outlet and an Internet router via an Ethernet cable. Six wireless sensors are placed in leak- or humidity-prone areas, such as behind a toilet, under a dishwasher, or near a sump pump. And each sensors battery should power the device for up to 10 years without a replacement, Cohn says.

Most sensor networks rely on wireless protocols like Wi-Fi, ZigBee, or Bluetooth to send a signal to a base station tens of feet away. Some of these networks require devices that boost a wireless signal so it can go around walls or through floors, and they tend to require multiple battery replacements during their lifetimes.

Instead of blasting a wireless signal tens of feet, the WallyHome sensors emit a relatively weak wireless signal. While the signal isnt powerful enough to reach a base station on its own, it can reach inside walls and resonate with the copper wiring that carries electricity. WallyHome effectively turns these internal power lines into antennas, propagating sensor data to a base station, which is plugged into the same lines. Data is then uploaded to a cloud-based data collection and analysis service, and a person can check the status of a sensor using the Web and a smartphone app. The system sends a text, e-mail, or mobile phone alert if water is detected or temperature and humidity thresholds are exceeded. You have these wireless sensor nodes you can place anywhere in the house or building because power lines go anywhere, says Cohn.

The concept of using power lines to augment wireless sensor networks arose from research conducted by Cohn and co-inventors Matt Reynolds and Shwetak Patel, both professors at the University of Washington. In addition to cofounding SNUPI (Sensor Network Utilizing Powerline Infrastructure) in 2012, Patel, who was one of MIT Technology Reviews 35 Innovators Under 35 in 2009, also cofounded Zensi, acquired by Belkin in 2010. Patel was awarded a MacArthur award in 2011.

Elizabeth Mead, an analyst at IHS, a research firm, says that energy management is crucial for home networks. Low-power devices are becoming increasingly important, especially as the number of sensors in home networks proliferate.

Cohn hopes WallyHomes water-watching network will appeal to people who might have a second home that isnt regularly occupied, or who have previously experienced water damage, which can cause thousands of dollars of damage.

Over time, the system, which runs sensor data through machine-learning algorithms, will eventually be able to infer trends and anticipate changes in the environment, Cohn says. It could, for instance, notice that leaks from frozen pipes are common in certain areas at certain times of the year and issue warnings to customers.

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Nest Competitor Monitors Your House’s Leaks on the Cheap

Home Security Systems Inc.
http://www.dexknows.com/business_profiles/home_security_systems_inc-b471827 Dont leave your security to chance. Just bring in the professionals at Home Secur...

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Home Security Systems Inc. - Video

Ann Arbor, MI (PRWEB) January 21, 2014

As the new year gets under way and winter continues, so does the increased danger of having a house fire, due significantly to open flames, electrical problems, cooking and kitchen dangers, and improper usage of heating equipment in and around the home. Michigan residents should be extra careful when preparing to heat their homes this winter. This January, Ann Arbor-based Finns JM&J Insurance Agency wants to help area residents prepare for the increasingly cold weather, as well as the associated dangers with staying warm, with tips about fire hazards and how to take the right precautions to stay safe.

As always, Finns JM&J Insurance Agency is steadily focused on bringing a unique and personal brand of customer service to the community through news, advice, and insurance solutions. The agency is happy to build personal relationships withand provide peace of mind toits clients and hopes that residents will stay warm and safe throughout the winter months. Customers interested in learning more about staying covered with home insurance this winter can visit the Finns JM&J Insurance Agency website, call 888-285-6582, or stop by the offices in Ann Arbor or Dexter, MI.

About Finns JM&J Insurance Agency: Finns JM&J Insurance Agency believes that insurance coverage shouldnt be a hassle, and customers should be treated like friends and family. With home base offices in Ann Arbor and Dexter, Michigan, the agencys professional agents are happy to serve clients and help them find the right personal and business insurance products that meet their unique needs and goals. Emphasizing educational, friendly, fun, and dedicated service, Finns JM&J Insurance Agency has built its business on providing clients throughout Michigan with affordable, high-quality, and flexible insurance solutions that leave their customers satisfied. To learn more about becoming part of the family, call Finns JM&J Insurance Agency today at 888-285-6582.

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This January, Finn’s JM&J Insurance Agency Warns of Increased Danger of Fire Hazards in and Around the Home

UPDATED 11:45 1/18/2014

The Parkersburg Fire Department now say the cause of today's Market Street house fire is likely due to electrical wiring.

Officials say there is at least $40,000 worth in damage, but due to the home's historical uniqueness and size, the smoke damage could be into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

___________________________________________________ A beloved pet is dead after a Market Street home catches fire.

The Parkersburg Fire Department responded to fire at 1702 Market Street just after 1:30 Saturday afternoon.

Officials say upon arrival heavy smoke was pouring from the first floor.

Chief Eric Taylor says no one was home, except for a family dog who died in the blaze.

Taylor says while battling the flames a firefighter fell through the floor. His injuries are minor and he was not transported from the scene.

Authorities believe the fire started in the first floor, possibly the basement.

Taylor says the damage is contained to those two floors, although windows were knocked out of the second story.

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UPDATE: Market Street House Fire

Is your home wiring safe 1
This video is from CBS 42 in Birmingham, AL. Read the article here: http://www.cbs42.com/news/is-your-home-wiring-safe.

By: Birmingham Electrical JATC

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Is your home wiring safe 1 - Video

The stately old home on Oakridge Avenue had gone without attention for a while.

Walls were cracked and moldy, support beams were rotted, paint and wallpaper were peeling, ceilings sagged and parts of the foundation were crumbling.

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Plan to raze house rallies neighbors

To your right is a house wiring diagram of a typical U.S. or Canadian circuit, showing examples of connections in electrical boxes and at the devices mounted in them. You may prefer to print out the text and the image. Or you may want to try this Version with a vertical image or this Version using frames.

This page takes you on a tour of the circuit. The boxes are shown as light areas. The dark background represents the area between boxes -- usually inaccessible -- where the cables containing the wires shown in the diagram run in the ceiling, wall, and floor framing of the home. As you can see, between any two boxes, either two or three wires run, corresponding to two or three-conductor cable. After you have become familiar with the circuit shown here, you can compare it directly with a housewiring diagram that follows the cables between these boxes as they might be routed in the rooms of a home; for this see Floorplan. For a GFI wiring diagram go to GFIs.

Ground wires (bare or green wires) are not shown. Connections are shown either as wires making contact with the side screw terminals of devices or as wires bundled into blue wire connectors. The diagram is not meant as a guide for doing wiring; for example, the white wires connected to some switches here should nowadays be taped red or black. The diagram is more to familiarize you with what you may encounter in existing homes.

NOTE: Where two wires are shown as contacting a single side-screw on a receptacle or switch, this is not to encourage anyone to ever put more than one wire under a screw (they are only meant to take one). Instead, it is just to indicate that the two wires do electrically connect with each other and with the terminal. But this should be done using any combination of screws, back-holes, clamps, and pigtailing with wirenuts -- all within the capacity of each option.

This circuit starts with A4 receiving hot (black) and neutral (white) wires from the main electrical panel -- imagine the panel below the image. A4 passes hots and neutrals to nearby receptacles A3 and A5 by means of their wires contact with the terminals on A4. A3 and A5 are the beginnings of the two main branches of this circuit, and we can identify several sub-branches that are developed beyond them.

Looking ahead, A3 will feed a string of boxes one direction (A2, B2, A1, B1, C2) and another string through B3, C3, D3, D2, D1, C1, and B4. Meanwhile the branch at A5 provides connection out to B5, C5, D5 ,D4, and C4. It also sends power through A6 to B6, C6, and D6. A6 itself also splits power out to A7, B7, C7, and D7.

[... Text from this point on may have disappeared (just as the whole website could some day), but I can send you the whole website offline (with no disappearing text) for $10. Here's how. Here's why.]

Lets follow the sub-branch that goes left from A3. A3 needs to get its hot and neutral connections passed on so that two lights (A1 and B1) can burn -- not all the time, but according to what the switches at A2, B2, and C2 say. A2 is a normal single-pole switch, as seen by its two side screws. According to the position of its handle, it will either let its light (A1) get the hot connection or not; the neutral connection at A2 (a wire connector) is not affected by the switch.

Meanwhile, however, A2s box needs to help the switches at B2 and C2 receive power so they can run their light (B1). These two switches (B2 and C2) are three-way switches, as seen by their 3 side screws. If either of their handles moves, it changes the hots connectedness to the light. This particular set of 3-way switches is set up in this way: B2s switch sends hotness to C2s along either the red or the white (called "travelers") according to which gold traveler terminal B2s switch internally passes its hotness on to from the black terminal. Similarly, the black at C2 will be made hot or not, depending on which gold traveler terminal the switch internally connects it to. This black wire (the "light leg") is the one whose hotness or unhotness will let the light burn or not, so back at B2's box it must be bundled with the black that goes to B1, where the light is. If your house is newer you may find that the white from B2 to C2 has been colored to show that it is not a neutral, and you may also find a white neutral as a fourth wire going from the other whites in B2 to C2; this is in case a fancy switch that needs a neutral is installed at C2.

Lets go back now to the other sub-branch that goes out from A3. It will run a light (B3) and three receptacles (D1, D2, and D3). The light will be controlled by switch B4, D2 and D3 by switch C3, and D1 by switch C1 (switched receptacles!). Heres how. A3 feeds power to the B3 box, where the light gets its neutral connection immediately; but the light's hotness will depend on switch B4, once B4 has received constant hotness from B3 by a wire connector at B3, which also sends hotness on to the rest of this sub circuit on the black going to C3. Dont rush on. And, yes, a white wire is being used as a hot down to B4; thats the way a cable of two wires comes -- black and white. For some time now this white should be colored differently when installed. In fact wiring done under the 2011 NEC code should use 3- not 2-conductor cable to provide a neutral for possible special switches. In that case the switched wire (black here) would be red, the hot wire (white here) would be black, and the neutral (none here) would be white -- connecting with the other whites at B3 but to nothing at B4 unless the type of switch called for a neutral.

See original here:
House Wiring Diagram of a Typical Circuit

Anne Arundel County

These were among incidents reported by police in Anne Arundel County. For information, call 410-222-8050.

BROOKLYN PARK AREA

ROBBERIES

Seward Ave., 400 block, 2:08 p.m. Jan. 7. Three males approached a woman as she was carrying a trash can behind her home and robbed her of a wallet. The robbers ran through the alley toward Church Street.

CROFTON AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Davidsonville Rd. near Duke of Kent Dr., 4:03 a.m. Jan. 6. A group of males fled on foot from Crofton police, who called county police for backup. It was determined that they had taken copper wiring from a construction trailer in the 1400 block of Duke of Kent Drive and placed it in a vehicle. An Alexandria man, 23, and an Oxon Hill man, 29, were arrested and charged with second-degree burglary and theft. The Oxon Hill man was served an open warrant for failure to appear in traffic court.

GLEN BURNIE AREA

WEAPONS

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Anne Arundel County and Howard County crime report

SCOTTSDALE, AZ - If you're looking for a car and a home for one price, look no further than Scottsdale.

A couple is selling a multi-million dollar home and included in the listing price is a 2013 Ferrari.

"The buyer wants it (Ferrari), that's the kind of buyer we're appealing to," said realtor Andrew Bloom.

Bloom said the 7,600 square foot home near Cactus Road and Loop 101 went on the market Friday.

"It's one level, it's on more than an acre with no homeowners association," said Bloom while standing in the back yard near a lavish pool and basketball court. "It's got something for everyone, families, bachelors, just anyone and that someone will want the Ferrari, the Ferrari comes with the territory."

The large custom built home includes a panic room, two massive walk-in closets, a man cave, children's playroom and more than a dozen TVs.

"And most of the TVs convey, they are part of the home, part of the wiring and the security system here is amazing, cameras everywhere, watching everything, this is just a beautiful amazing house with a beautiful car that comes with it," Bloom said.

The car, a 2013 Ferrari California is worth around $200,000.

When asked if he would knock off the price of the home if a buyer doesn't want the car, Bloom said "no."

The price of the home Bloom said is $2.4 million. If a buyer comes in at asking price, the Ferrari will be in the garage.

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Buy Scottsdale home, get a sports car