FIRE from HEAT MAT

[Rennie]

So it was between the glass and wood chips, with no ventilation or thermostat, well I hope you learn from that lesson.
I never put them in the cage (spilled water bowls could be disasterous), I always use thermostats and have space for ventilation under or on top of the heat mat. Its also a good idea to test the temps before you put a pet in there.

 

[ashman07]

No it was a melami tank with no glass botom. I had a constant check on temp as my lizard was sick. And there was no water in there as he is a shingleback and does not need water every day.

 

[Moreliaman]

ash.............what people are trying to ascertain is ........did you put the heatmatt inside the viv & then cover the matt with bark chippings ??? (judging by your pic thats the way it looks (what we presume is) as you can see the heatmatt wire running down the inside corner of the tank)
covering the matt with the chippings could have caused an unusually high build-up of heat that had no-where to escape ! I also think that having the bulb on 24/7 could have contributed to the over heating !!
Also as you can tell from the replies given, having a thermostat usually eliminates this kind of danger.

 

[ashman07]

ohhh ok. I donl think the bulb had anything to de with the fire as it was not verp powerful and quite high above the tank

 

[hugsta]

You are missing the point ashman07, we're not saying it caused the fire, we're saying an excess of heat caused it. So having a heat mat covered by wood chip and having a heat light, even if only low wattage, above it would have all combined to create an excessive hotspot over the heat matt, thus causing a fire. Never use heating equipment without a thermostat.

 

[MannyM]

I'd like to know how you got up the first time to get a drink, and didn't notice then that there was smoke in your room.

Not having a go, just curious.

 

[ashman07]

Well, I cant beleive it either. I thought there was somthing wrong with me like I was sick or somthing. My throte was so sore and I could not smell anything. I could not see very well and I thought it was my eyes. I did not have the light on. It was scarry as even got up and still could not see anything wrong. When the light was on my room was so full of smoke I still could not see.