The fire, which ignited in Pratt's historic Main Building and destroyed much of the roof, was an accident caused by electrical wiring in a cubicle, according to the New York Fire Department.

WSJ: Pratt Fire Destroys, Inspires

The Japanese automaker also designed the battery pack to sense a crash and disable its electrical charge when involved in an accident.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Reinsch told CNN the water was electrified because of "a problem with the wiring going to the dock from the house, " although he stressed that investigators could not pinpoint which of several electrical components on the dock caused the accident.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The ESC's studies also included fire and accident trends from the Department of Communities and Local Government and data on the number of high risk electrical items in homes from the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

BBC: 'Blunder' fires increasing say Electrical Safety Council