What fire extinguisher for electrical fires?
Choosing the right extinguisher for electrical fires in Australia
If something electrical catches fire, the wrong extinguisher can make the situation worse, ruin expensive equipment, or put people in danger. Switchboards, machinery, power tools, servers, appliances and battery chargers all carry that risk, so it pays to know what to reach for before you ever need to.
The reassuring part is that it comes down to a small number of extinguisher types once you understand how electrical fires are classified. This guide covers both.
At Industro, we supply fire extinguishers and fire safety equipment to warehouses, workshops, construction sites, offices, factories, data centres and commercial buildings across Australia. our fire extinguisher range
What counts as an electrical fire?
An electrical fire is any fire where electricity is involved in the ignition or the spread. The usual culprits are faulty wiring, overloaded circuits, damaged cords, arcing, defective switchboards or appliances, equipment failures and battery charging faults. Because almost every building and vehicle runs on electrical systems, it is one of the most common fire risks there is.
In Australia, that is a Class E fire
Australia classifies electrical fires as Class E, fires involving energised electrical equipment: switchboards, power outlets, cabinets, motors, servers, computers, appliances and control panels.
The key word is energised. Once the power is isolated and the equipment is no longer live, the fire can be treated according to whatever materials are actually burning. That distinction matters when you choose an extinguisher.
For the full breakdown of every fire class, see Electrical Fire Classes Explained.
The two extinguishers used for electrical fires
In Australian workplaces, two types do the bulk of the work:
CO2 (carbon dioxide)
CO2 leaves no residue, so it is the go-to around sensitive electronics. No powder, no water damage, minimal clean-up. You will find it in server rooms, comms rooms, switch rooms, control rooms and IT facilities, anywhere a powder discharge would cause as much grief as the fire. CO2 fire extinguishers
ABE dry chemical powder
ABE is the versatile all-rounder, rated for Class A, B and E, which makes it a sensible single extinguisher for mixed-risk areas like workshops, warehouses and general commercial spaces. It does leave a fine residue, so it is less ideal right on top of delicate equipment, but its coverage across multiple fire types is hard to beat. ABE fire extinguishers
Many sites run both: CO2 by the sensitive electrical gear, ABE for general coverage.
A note on lithium battery fires
Electrical fires and lithium battery fires are not the same thing. A battery in thermal runaway behaves very differently and is not reliably controlled by a standard CO2 or ABE extinguisher. If your site charges or stores lithium-ion batteries, EVs, e-bikes or energy storage systems, that needs its own approach. See Lithium Battery Fire Extinguishers.
Where to from here
- For specific environments: Switchboard, Server Room, Data Centre, EV Charging Station fire extinguishers.
- To understand the classes: Electrical Fire Classes Explained.
- To kit out a site: Electrical Fire Safety Equipment.
Not sure what suits your site? Talk to the team at Industro and we will point you to the right setup. get in touch