View of burned AC cord near the plug. From this view you can see that the insulation is entirely melted from the center wire of the 3 wire AC power cord. The center wire is almost melted bare of any insulation for the entire length of the power cord. The outer two wires are somewhat melted in places, but they do not appear to have gotten nearly as hot as the center of the three wires in the cord. Click again for more detailed original source picture