I was awoken abruptly this morning by my wife saying there was smoke coming from a wall switch. Long story short the 4 speed ceiling fan switch was on fire.
I removed the switch and capped the wires. The wiring and the box seem fine.
Shouldn't the circuit breaker have tripped? Should I replace it? Anything else I should be aware of before I install a new switch? I'm very comfortable doing the repairs. I'll check the fan for problems that could have led to this. I'm just not sure if the breaker should be replaced. It looks and feels fine when switched on and off although that doesn't mean they are not defective.
I removed the switch and capped the wires. The wiring and the box seem fine.
Shouldn't the circuit breaker have tripped? Should I replace it? Anything else I should be aware of before I install a new switch? I'm very comfortable doing the repairs. I'll check the fan for problems that could have led to this. I'm just not sure if the breaker should be replaced. It looks and feels fine when switched on and off although that doesn't mean they are not defective.

