I have a big connection problem because Virgin cable box caught fire in the livingroom this afternoon, fire fighters had to put it out. Must speak to virgin and they must come out, can’t reach them through the app, any ideas how?
We can confirm we are looking into this :)
That's the most serious fire incident involving Virgin Media equipment that I have ever seen.
Please be specific about what equipment was involved. Was it the internal wall box that you plug your white coax cable into, was it a VM hub, or was it some other device such as a wifi booster or TV box? If you can take some more pics of the affected device itself it would help.
Alternatively is that an electrical socket at the very bottom of the charring and if so was that very large extention lead plugged into it by any chance?
What is that large black box that the VM coaxial cable is attached to at the bottom right? What is the make/model?
Lastly I must suggest that you urgently review your cabling and extention lead arrangements as it really does look another accident waiting to happen.
Please see https://www.ddfire.gov.uk/extensions-and-leads
https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/safety/the-home/electrical-items/cables-fuses-and-leads/
Google Images tells me that the large black box in the picture is a SAMSUNG SMT-C7100 500GB Digital Top Box
Yes it is/was a Samsung tv box
Hi, thanks, there’s no electrical socket there it was just virgin cable splitter box that divides the coax to tv and broadband, and the phone cable at the bottom I believe. This is how it looks like now
And this was in that plastic box:
And the things that were connected are a Samsung box, a hub3 and a phone
on the outside it’s just the cable that comes in from the box, although the firefighters put tape on it after the fire and the disconnection :
Hi, thanks for getting back to me. Yes, it was the internal wall box that I plug my 2 white coax cable into. There is no electrical socket there. That black box is the Samsung tv box. I will try sending pictures and maybe a video the firefighters took in my next reply soon again (replied with pics once already this morning but seemed to have gone nowhere, so doing it one by one).
Pictures of the area, what was in the wall box l , the equipment (hub3, Samsung tv box, and phone) ,and the outside box (firefighters taped it after they put out the fire ), I’ll send the video next, hope these go through
Forum TeamHey Dsebesty, thank you for reaching out and a very warm welcome to the community, we are so sorry to hear and see this fire issue.
We are going to send you a DM to get this looked into this ASAP.
Please keep an eye out for my DM.
Forum TeamDM has been sent Dsebesty.
Please do reply when you can do.
Thanks, I replied a few times… also talked to customer services people a few times on the phone yesterday but they haven’t been very helpful yet in understanding the situation, so after initially arranging a technician for today then cancelling it, when I called again they only want to send some technician next Thursday that I most probably have to pay for unless they agree it’s virgin equipment causing the issue etc. so frustrating, I’m seriously thinking about leaving, but then the fire issue won’t be resolved and I get a big early disconnection fee too, when I’m the one without service for 2 days and had to put out a fire :(
Thank goodness it was localised and everyone OK.
If you have legal protection on home insurance, speak to them as that is what it's for. They may want a report from fire brigade to confirm cause. VM have a history on the forums, admittedly with other issues, of delays on different departments and levels.
It looks like the fire was from the incoming cable, suggesting some sort of power surge, and the other end of the coax are not burnt, but that is just observation from a photo.
If it was VM equipment then trading standards should be involved, but looks like an old Tivo box, but VM has not replaced it.
thanks, the tivo box itself didn't burn though. What is interesting is that even though I switched off electricity (main switch at the meter) instantly when seeing the fire, the video the firefighters made well after this shows that the coax had some heavy-duty current and sparks on it, coming from the outside virgin coax cable, which I didn't think was possible. I'll try to post the video here, let's see if it gets "approved" and uploaded successfully, it is a bit scary
Here’s the video uploaded to YouTube https://youtube.com/shorts/jWdy4MMu7Tw?feature=shared
Terrifying.
Do engage with Matthew from the VM forum team.
Forum TeamWe can confirm we are looking into this :)
Don't think I have ever seen any kind of fault like that on signal cables before. Obviously a significant fault of some kind going on beyond your home.
Out of interest, have you asked your neighbours if they had any sort of VM problems, or electrical problems, at the same time as the fire?
Have you noticed any contractors working near your home, or out in the street, when the fault happened?
Do keep the topic updated if you find out any more about the cause.
(virgin guys came out yesterday afternoon to investigate and will start the work today so that’s good) Neighbours said they didn’t have Vm/electrical issues Sunday evening when the fire happened (and not sure if there were any contractors out Sunday evening either… I got a fault report text in my area from virgin though that apparently got resolved Monday morning, not sure what that was). Can the amp send a massive surge only to us? Or is the whole switch box amplified together? On the other hand, I’m not sure there was an isolator in the house, all I can see is the burned out splitter that was in the plastic box on the wall. The original vm installation predates us moving here 15 years ago, they only came out once or twice to set my services up, and that many years ago too.
Look like some how AC or DC is running on the Docsis cable maybe a fault with the outside Amp
The coaxial cable carries a small AC voltage (usually 60) which gets blocked by the isolator, but a surge down the line can cause serious damage.
An electrical inspection might be a good idea to determine ( or rule out ) if this electrical fault either originated in the house wiring or has resulted in any yet to be seen damage to the house wiring.
Forum TeamHello, the relevant team has been made aware of this incident and are working to have this resolved with the original poster.
Thanks,
David_Bn
