Most of us will never experience a house fire. For those of us who have – or who have narrowly evaded one – they can tell you how terrifying of an experience this is. This man posted on Facebook about how he nearly had a house fire from something you might not expect – a lightbulb. His post has prompted many others to also check their own light bulbs at home. (1)
Ladybug-Filled Light Bulb Nearly Causes House Fire
In 2019, a man named Jason Whitaker posted on Facebook about how he and his family nearly experienced a house fire. The culprit? A light bulb that was full of ladybugs. In his post, he explained how he kept smelling something that smelled like the beginnings of an electrical fire. He said he “tore his house apart” trying to find the source of the smell. Finally, he discovered one of his light bulbs absolutely filled with ladybugs.
“These light bulbs will burn your house down. It has been in this lamp 4-5 years. It is packed tight with nothing but ladybugs. You can see how close it came to igniting. I changed all the light bulbs. Please check yours.” he wrote.
The Internet Says Thanks
Naturally, people were quite shocked at the photos and his story. Many of them claimed they have light bulbs just like those in their house – and lots of ladybugs, too. They were all prompted to go check theirs immediately.
“Wow. I’ll have to check ours. Our house has tons of ladybugs” said one person.
“So checking mine tonight, I use that kind” said another.
Many talked about the dangers of these bulbs in general. They said they switched to using a different type of bulb a long time ago for reasons just like this.
“I took all those out of my home long ago after one burnt up and almost caught fire. Replaced all lights with LED bulbs. Glad nothing happened to your homestead friend.” said one.
“I never liked those florescent bulbs. I have been switching all mine to LED bulbs good light less energy and they don’t get as hot. Glad you caught that and you are all safe.” said another.
The Safest Lightbulbs For Your Home
Poor quality or improperly-used lightbulbs are dangerous, always. According to Hansen Lighting, the safest ones are high-quality LED lightbulbs. Most are also now made with plastic or acrylic to make them less prone to shattering and less dangerous if they do break. As a bonus, they use less energy and you don’t need to replace them as often. (2)
There are many types of lightbulbs. The take-away from this is to make sure you buy high quality always and make sure you use them according to the manufacturer’s directions. If you smell anything funny or are at all unsure, unplug it and remove it. It is always better to be on the safe side when it comes to preventing house fires.
Sources
- “Safest Light Bulbs for Your Home.” Hansen Lighting. Jason Petersen. June 4, 2019.