Consumer: Aluminum wire: The heat is on: Is it possible your house could burn down because the contractor saved some money by using aluminum wire?

Do fires of an electrical origin occur more frequently in homes wired with aluminum instead of more expensive copper? The answer is not clear, although at least three investigations are underway in the U.S. exploring the facts that high-resistivity aluminum oxides and spot temperatures high enough to cause combustion have been found in aluminum wire connections of less than ideal design.