My surge protector saved my work area from a lot of grief not long ago.
I plugged in a machine I should not have and the sparks, fire ball, and smoke flew from the machine and my area went dark when the breaker in the surge bar tripped. Almost melted the cord block connections. I was able to repair them when I rewired the machine.
That taught me to check the wires BEFORE I test the machine.
Scared the crap outta me too.
Joe