Risk of fire from lighting?

First, let me be clear that I know next to nothing about electricity and am very paranoid about getting zapped. (Don't taze me, bros!) But one of my biggest worries is about a fire starting either from bulb heat or some kind of electrical mishap.

So, I'm wondering, have any of you veteran growers ever had a fire break out?

make sure u have a fire extinguisher

I have one of those ceiling mount extingusher ones too.

Fire Extinguisher or Smoke Alarms/Ceiling Extinguisher I just zapped myself the other day wiring a fluro fixture, smoked too many joints and forgot it was plugged.

600 / 1000 watt lights can explode if you get a drop of water on them -- about as loud as a 22 firing. They'll also burn the fuck out of you, and if you wear synthetic fabrics, they'll instantly melt and 'glue' the bulb to you.

And yeah, everything can catch fire. About the best thing you can do is put your ballasts on wire shelves - you want them off the ground and away from water, but not right under anything flammable.

this is all I need

Yikes. Some of that stuff is scary, but at least now I know a few things to watch for. Thanks, guys.

You can always go the cfl route. I'm a newbie too with only two plants grown under my belt, but I've had quality results with them. Things CAN happen, but if you use cfl, your best route is to just get a big surge protector and plug the individual lights into it instead of wiring them all together. And make sure they are plugged all the way in and that the bulbs are tight in the socket without them being too tight. Besides water coming in contact with electrically hot devices, loose connections arcing are usually a cause of fire. So make sure everything is securely plugged in/screwed in.