Electrical emergency? Call (949) 288-4832 now. ASL Electric responds to electrical emergencies across Orange County around the clock — sparking outlets, burning smell, no power, electrical fire hazards. Licensed electrician dispatched fast.
Not every electrical problem is an emergency — but some are. If you're experiencing any of the situations below, don't wait. A licensed electrician needs to assess it before it becomes a fire or safety hazard.
Burning plastic, fishy, or acrid smell from an outlet, switch, panel, or wall is a sign of electrical arcing or overheating. This is a fire hazard requiring immediate inspection. Don't wait until you see smoke.
Call ImmediatelySparks from an outlet when nothing is plugged in, sparking when plugging something in repeatedly, or visible sparks inside your panel are dangerous. Turn off the circuit and call us — do not ignore sparking.
Fire HazardIf your entire home has lost power and it's not a utility outage — or if the power went out after a strange noise or smell — call us. This may be a failed main breaker, disconnected service, or a serious panel fault.
Same-DayVisible scorch marks on outlets or switches, discolored cover plates, melted wiring, or any sign that a previous arc or heat event occurred. These need immediate assessment — the damage may extend into your walls.
UrgentA breaker that trips immediately when you reset it, or won't stay in the on position at all, indicates a serious fault — short circuit, failed breaker, or wiring damage. This circuit must stay off until it's inspected.
Do Not Use CircuitIf someone received a shock from an outlet, switch, or appliance in your home, the circuit needs to be inspected immediately. A wiring fault that caused one shock can cause another — potentially more serious one.
Safety EmergencyExactly half your home losing power is a specific failure — one leg of your 240V service. This can be a utility issue or a panel issue. We diagnose which, coordinate with the utility if needed, and restore power.
Same-DayExposed wiring in your home, visible wires that have lost their insulation, or wires you can see arcing inside a junction box or outlet are an immediate electrical hazard. Turn off the circuit and call us now.
ImmediateAfter a lightning strike, flood, or major power surge event, your home's electrical system needs inspection before restoring full power. We assess surge damage, ground fault issues, and panel condition after weather events.
Post-EventElectrical emergencies require a licensed electrician — not a general contractor or handyman. ASL Electric dispatches a CA-licensed electrician to every emergency call across Orange County.
"Woke up at 11pm to a burning smell from the kitchen. ASL Electric was at our door within the hour. Found a melted wire behind the stove outlet. Could have been a house fire."
— Patricia L., Lake Forest
Electrical emergencies don't happen on business hours. We respond to emergency calls around the clock across all 16 Orange County cities — nights, weekends, and holidays.
Every emergency call is handled by a CA-licensed electrician — not an apprentice working alone or an unlicensed tech. Emergency electrical work done wrong creates new hazards. We do it right.
Our emergency trucks carry thermal imaging cameras. For burning smell calls, we scan walls, outlets, and panels for heat signatures — finding dangerous overheating inside walls without tearing anything open.
On arrival at any emergency, we identify and isolate the hazard before starting repair work. Your family's safety comes first — the repair comes after the immediate danger is addressed.
We provide written documentation of what we found, what was done, and the safe condition of the electrical system after our work — useful for insurance claims after fire, storm, or surge events.
Before the electrician arrives, here's what to do — and what not to do — in common electrical emergencies.
Turn off the circuit breaker for the affected area if you can safely identify it. Do not use the outlet or switch. Open windows. Call us immediately — do not wait to see if the smell goes away.
Unplug everything from the outlet. Turn off its circuit breaker. Do not use the outlet until it's been inspected. If sparking is happening with nothing plugged in, turn off the breaker and call us.
If there are flames, evacuate immediately and call 911 first. Do not use water on electrical fires — use a Class C fire extinguisher only. Call us after the fire is out and the fire department has cleared the scene.
Check your main breaker first. If it has tripped, try resetting it once. If it trips again immediately, leave it off and call us — do not keep resetting a breaker that trips immediately.
If someone received a serious shock, call 911 for medical assistance first. Then call us to inspect the circuit before it's used again. Even a minor shock indicates a wiring fault that needs repair.
Stay away from the affected area. Don't reset tripped breakers repeatedly. Don't use affected outlets. Keep pets and children away from the problem area. We'll be there as fast as possible.
From your call to a licensed electrician at your door — here's what happens when you call ASL Electric for an emergency.
Call (949) 288-4832. Describe the emergency — burning smell, sparking, no power, or other hazard. We dispatch immediately.
A licensed electrician is dispatched to your location with diagnostic equipment and common repair parts on board.
We identify and isolate the electrical hazard first. Your family's safety is addressed before we begin repair work.
Emergency repaired, system tested safe, documentation provided. You know exactly what was wrong and what was fixed.
Questions homeowners ask when dealing with electrical emergencies in Orange County.
Call us immediately for: burning smell from an outlet, switch, or panel; sparking with nothing plugged in; complete power loss after an abnormal event; visible scorch marks; wires that look melted or damaged; and any situation where you suspect electrical arcing or overheating. These are fire hazards that don't improve on their own.
If there are visible flames or you suspect a structure fire is already burning — call 911 first, evacuate, and call us after. For all other electrical emergencies (burning smell, sparking, no power, shock) — call us. We respond as an emergency and will advise you on whether the situation requires calling the fire department as well.
Yes. A burning electrical smell — described as burning plastic, fishy, or chemical — means something is overheating or arcing. There is no "wait and see" for electrical burning smells. The source may be inside a wall where you can't see it. Call us and we'll find it with our thermal camera.
If your neighbors have power but you don't, the problem is in your home — not the grid. Check your main breaker first. If it's tripped, try one reset. If it trips again, leave it off and call us. It could be a failed main breaker, a loose utility connection at your meter, or a wiring fault requiring an emergency service call.
Response time depends on time of day and current workload, but we treat emergency calls as priority dispatch. Most OC emergency calls see a licensed electrician on site within 1–2 hours. We'll give you a realistic ETA when you call.
After-hours and emergency calls do carry a premium over standard daytime rates — we're honest about that upfront. But we give you the price before starting and you decide. The cost of an emergency call is far less than the cost of fire damage, water damage from a fire suppression system, or injury.
No. Turn off the circuit breaker and do not use the outlet until we've inspected it. A shock from an outlet means current is flowing somewhere it shouldn't — faulty wiring, failed outlet, or a grounding problem. The same fault can shock the next person who touches it. Call us before using the outlet again.
Yes. We provide a written report of what we found, what work was performed, and the condition of your electrical system after our repair. Insurance companies typically require licensed contractor documentation for electrical damage claims — our report satisfies that requirement.
ASL Electric responds to electrical emergencies in all 16 Orange County cities around the clock. Call (949) 288-4832 for immediate dispatch.
Don't wait on an electrical emergency. A licensed ASL Electric electrician is dispatched fast to all 16 OC cities, around the clock.
