Fatal Boat Blaze Blamed On Short Circuit

- Coming up on this week's news, a short circuit is being blamed for a boat blaze in which three British tourists died. Meanwhile, an electrician appears to hold the clue to the mysterious cause of another deadly fire some 40 years ago. And concern mounts over the growing dangers of a fault cold and neutral current diversion. Welcome to "Electrical News Weekly".

Whether you're listening in the van, onsite, or down at the wholesale counter, I'm Joe Robinson and I've been through the best of the electrical industry news to save you the trouble. And as always, if you think you've spotted the two words I've been challenged to slip into this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win a prize. And we'd strongly recommend you stay tuned to the very end of the news for a surprise ending to this week's episode.

A short circuit in the electrical wiring of a diving boat is being blamed for a fire in which three British tourists died. The divers were aboard a vessel called "Hurricane", exploring the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt when the blaze began in the engine room. The trio had opted not to attend that morning's briefing and had remained below decks. 12 of the divers and 14 crew, including the captain, abandoned ship and were rescued by other dive companies.

The tour operator, Scuba Travel, issued a statement saying that with great regret and heavy hearts, it must accept that three of its much valued dive guests perished in the incident. Footage of the boat off the coast of the resort town of Marsa Alam showed fire engulfing both decks of the ship as smoke billowed into the air. Egyptian authorities say that initial examinations indicate that an electrical short circuit in the engine room sparked the blaze.

The tragedy follows a spate of electrical fires across the UK. In Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, a business was destroyed by a fire which took firefighting crews from four different districts to bring under control. In Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, a fire in an electrical substation led to the loss of power for more than 150 homes and businesses. And in Basingstoke, Hampshire, 80 firefighters tackled in an electrical fire at a three-story apartment complex which left 24 families displaced.

But it's the cause of a fire back in 1981 that's attracting the most attention this week. 48 young people died in a blaze at the Stardust nightclub in Dublin. It was the worst fire disaster in the history of the Irish state. The victim's ages ranged from 16 to 26 years old. They were among 840 people attending a valentine's night disco.

The cause of the inferno has baffled investigators for over four decades, but this week, in a long awaited inquest into what happened that night, it was revealed that an electrician who attended the venue on the night of the fatal fire noticed a neon sign dimming and flickering. Stephen Brynes said he believed it was due to an electrical short circuit, and from his experience as an electrician, he knew that it could cause a fire.

As soon as he heard about the incident, he thought of the short-circuiting that he had noticed in the neon sign. Another witness, Fiona Doherty, told how she saw big sparks coming from the ceiling of the Stardust a month before the fire. She said this alarmed her so much she wanted to leave. The inquest is expected to continue for another two years.

In other news, concern has been mounting this week over a serious network fault called a neutral current diversion, or NCD. Electrical experts told "Engineering & Technology" magazine that there was a real risk of deadly explosions and fires in the UK due to NCDs. They argue that the Health and Safety Executive need to admit the risks of NCDs so that a program of testing can be implemented, followed by life-saving upgrades.

An NCD can occur on a network when the combined protective earthing and neutral or PEN conductor fails. The current is then diverted by making a circuit via exposed metal work on buildings. These can include gas, water, and oil pipes. If there's a significant buildup of heat, then this can be followed by fires and gas explosions. PEN conductors are particularly vulnerable to damage, corrosion, and wear and tear across an aging protective multiple-earthing network.

Experts say that, given the huge projected rise in load on the network, incidents are expected to multiply. In fact, "Engineering & Technology" magazine says reports of broken PEN conductors have increased by more than eight times since 2005. One broken PEN incident may affect around 50 properties, meaning tens of thousands of properties could be affected each year in the UK. The Health and Safety Executive are said to be monitoring developments carefully.

Check out the videos that we've made on devices that can help to keep EV ChargePoint installations safe when PEN faults occur. You'll find links in the show notes.

The latest electrician to die from exposure to asbestos has been named as Eric Duffy of Carlisle. An inquest into the death of the 81-year-old revealed that a pathologist had found fibers in his body that were consistent with asbestos. Duffy started his career as an apprentice in the late 1950s. He was employed by David Thompson and Son from 1956 to '70 and then Pirelli from 1970 to 2006.

Duffy worked on the electrical installations in various buildings, including Cumberland Infirmary, Cumberland Civic Center, and in a shoe factory in Cockermouth. He never wore PPE or a mask. Coroner Margaret Taylor said that he had a very clear history of working in locations with asbestos. Her conclusion, she said, is one of industrial disease. And if you're concerned about asbestos, I've put a link in the show notes to the Health and Safety Executives page on the subject.

Some good news this week for the education of the next generation of electricians. The Scottish government says it's to fully fund all 926 apprentices in this year's intake. The move follows an intense campaign by a group of industry bodies who feared yet another shortfall in cash. And Galbraith boss of the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust said that the extra money would allow it to meet demand from employers and maximize the spaces in its approved centers.

Still on training. What's being called an artificial street has been built in York for the tuition of electrical contractors and other tradespeople. The life-size set includes houses, apartments, and a cafe, but it's been specifically designed for educational purposes. Training company Develop says its street can be used to teach people cable avoidance, street lighting installation, and maintenance in confined spaces, entry.

Hopefully, they'll also teach you what to do with the dead wood labs you always seem to find in streetlights. In product news this week,

there are three iPads and 95 EZ365 socket testers up for grabs in a special competition to celebrate Martindale's anniversary. The company has been going for a whopping 95 years. To enter, answer three easy questions on the firm's website by the end of June. Full terms and conditions are there too. The closing date is the end of June. Again, I've popped the link into the show notes. Teledyne FLIR has announced a revamp

of its DM285 Electrical Inspection Multimeter. The DM286 still uses infrared measurement to identify problems without making contact. But now, cool technology mixes the infrared imaging with visible light details. So you can see, say, hot switch gear actually glowing red, for instance, augmented reality for ACBs, if you like. Without wishing to resort to flimflam, we reckon this is truly a multimeter from the future and it scares us a little. We've put in a request for a sample to bench test.

So watch this space. Now, if I had a Venn diagram of people who like Formula 1

and people who like power tools, would you be in the middle? If the answer is yes, then DEWALT has your perfect bit of kit. The company has just dropped the results of a collab with racing-car maker, McLaren. See, we can talk fashion talk. The limited edition collection includes McLaren Formula-1-branded hammer drill, impact driver twin kit, and pro backpack. The range is available exclusively at Screwfix.

And finally, an electrician in Eastern India, who failed to supply an electrical connection to a shopkeeper, found himself quite literally in a bit of a bind this week. The shopkeeper chained him up until he promised to do the work. (indistinct) Prakesh was tied up by Ardash Gupta for two hours in the state of Jharkhand until the police arrived to cut him free. Now, Prakash has assured the police and Gupta that he will do the work that he was paid for. The power of persuasion, eh? Before we go,

just to let you know that if you'd like to be featured in next week's news, simply visit the news tab on efixx.co.uk. Tell us about any exciting new products you've discovered, any stories you've spotted, or simply, any issues that you believe deserve the community's attention. The eFIXX team will then get on it and everything will be considered for future news bulletins. And just before we get to your favorite bit of the show,

where I reveal last week's challenge words and winners, we want to thank our premium partners. We couldn't make the news without you. First up, they're the people who've created the Swiss Army knife of solar inverters, along with all weather batteries. Very much the boy scouts of the solar industry. It's Sun Sync. Up next, for all your circuit protection needs, they're like having an Italian star striker in your Premiership team, it's Lewden Palazzoli.

And the best thing to come out of Yorkshire since stainless steel, it's Doncaster Cables, the home of EV Ultra and other groundbreaking and quality cables. Big thanks to you all. We really appreciate your ongoing support for the news. If you think you know the words I've smuggled into this week's show, pop your guess into the comments and we'll dig out a goody bag prize to the first to get the right answers.

Last week's words were earwig and snuffle, and the first person to get both right was @stonegrundy123. He missed the L and E off the end of "snuffle", but that could either be down to my poor diction or a misspelling. So I've made a judgment call to let him have it. Well done to you. Click the link in the description below to claim your prize.

Now, in a slight change to the end of the show, we're going to let the last word go to Ozzy Sparky Willman Electrical, who tagged us in his Instagram story with a quite frankly astonishing impression of myself. And if you'd like to close out the news next week, why not do the same by tagging us on social media and we'll pick the one that we like the most. So here we go. Thanks for listening to this episode of "Electrical News Weekly". Make sure you subscribe to receive the next update.

Thanks for listening, and until next time, have a great week. Stay safe out there. And- - [Willman Electrical] Remember, there's no such thing as a torque-calibrated arm. eFIXX, baba!