How does a coil element start an oven fire?

Question

I just had an oven fire. The coil element started sparking and we turned off the circuit breaker to finally stop it. There was no food burning on top of it, it's the coil itself that burned and the outer layer has partially disintegrated. What kind of malfunction would cause this? The oven is a top quality brand about 10 years old.

Answer 1

Ok, the simple answer is your element went bad. It's not uncommon for them to spark and flare when they go out. It is nerve wracking though (women screaming, children crying and all that). The good news is that if there is a safe place for a fire to occur in your house, it's inside the oven. Just replace the element and all will be well.

Rest assured. I've seen this literally hundreds times and the hardest part of the repair is convincing the customer that it is not more serious than a burnt element.

Answer 2

if there are any chips or rust on the metal of the coil it can erode or change the composition of the flame retardant of that coil

instead of the coil getting hot, it bursts into flames.