Sparking Concern

Some homeowners worry installing new 'smart meters' could spark fires - WPTV

“I went over to the FPL meter and it had caught on fire, it was all black smoke and charred,” said Albernaz.

She pointed out the damage to the Contact 5 Investigators the next day.

“Nothing happened until a new meter got put onto an old part and that scares me a little bit,” Albernaz said. Margie said her new meter was installed a few weeks prior to the fire.

The Contact 5 Investigators went searching for answers and discovered Margie’s not alone.

A family in Cutler Bay, just south of Miami, claims a fire broke out at their home in June shortly after a smart meter was installed.

A spokesperson for the Miami Dade Fire Rescue Department told the Contact 5 Investigators the fire was classified as “accidental.” The spokesperson also said the fire started in the “meter can” which is the box where the meter is located on the outside of the home.

After some more digging, we discovered similar fire concerns have been reported across the country with different power companies and different brands of smart meters.