House fires that start with a single overloaded cord rarely look dramatic at first. A warm plug, a faint plastic smell, a power strip tucked behind a sofa or under a desk, and suddenly a convenience ...

Q: I have a heavy-duty circular saw, and the plug on the end of the cord got smashed during a move. My mother has a lamp with a damaged plug, too. I don’t use the saw much, so I don’t want to dump too ...