Ceiling Fan Catches Fire in Capitola Bathroom

Go ahead and add ceiling fans to your list of in-home fire hazards. Tenants of an apartment on the 900 block of Ponselle Lane in Capitola certainly will.

At about 9:45 on Wednesday, Central Fire was dispatched to the apartment after a friend of the tenant was using the bathroom and saw sparks flying from the fan. 

"It looks like the bathroom fan motor overheated," Central Fire Spokesman Mike DeMars said.

Flames shot from the fan but did minimal damage before being extinguished and no one was injured, according to DeMars. 

"The tenant said the fan had been making noises for about a week, so it was malfunctioning," DeMars said. "It was probably an old fan that just started to wear out."

While this seems to be a case of a well-used fan going out with a bang, just two months ago, Westinghouse recalled five ceiling fan models due to shock and fire hazards. 

"The two 60-watt light bulbs included with the ceiling fans exceed the fan’s maximum wattage, which can cause the ceiling fans to overheat or fail," Care2.com reported in March.

Anyone with a Westinghouse ceiling fan should click here and make sure they aren't using a recalled model.

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