Electrical Fires

Reading the AOPA article on what to do in the even of an electrical fire was pretty eye opening.  Most of the advice I have picked up from the hangar talk is that it is okay to reset a circuit breaker no matter what, but you have to make sure that you keep an eye on it.  The article, on the other hand, seems to say that you should not reset a circuit breaker, unless it is for a circuit that is essential for flight.  A short circuit is where the wiring is damaged and current is allowed to flow into another system or onto a surface such as the fuselage.  This is bad because it can cause too much current to run through the wires, resulting in damaged wiring or even an electrical fire.  Our procedure in the Seminole is similar to what the article talked about because it advises to immediately turn off the battery master.  It also says to leave all non-essential circuits off, and to test each essential circuit before operating it.  Both the article and the PIM are clear in stating that you should land as soon as practical to fix the problem.  In the future I know that I will have to fly the airplane first and foremost.  I imagine that an electrical fire is pretty distracting, so it will be really important to ensure that I keep flying.  I also now know that I shouldn't reset a circuit breaker unless it is very essential for the flight to continue, and even then I should ensure that it isn't the cause of the problem.