Emergency Electrician in
Newmarket & York Region.
Sparks. Burning smell. A breaker that won't stay reset. Tim takes the call himself, day or night. ESA-certified, fully insured. Texts back within 15 minutes.
If there's active fire, smoke, or someone's been shocked — call 911 first. Then call us.
Top Choice Electrical provides 24/7 emergency electrical service across York Region — Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill, Markham, Vaughan, King City, Stouffville, and surrounding areas. Tim Ciszkowski, an ESA-certified Master Electrician with 22 years of experience, takes emergency calls personally. Most non-life-threatening emergencies are on-site within 2-4 hours; active sparking, burning, or fire situations are prioritized for under-an-hour response. Standard rates during business hours; an after-hours call-out rate applies overnight, on Sundays, and on stat holidays — quoted up front before dispatch.
Call Right Away If
Real electrical emergencies.
These aren't inconveniences. They're fire risks, shock risks, or signs of a system that's about to fail. If you're seeing any of them, stop using the affected outlets and call.
Burning smell at an outlet, switch, or panel
Stop. Turn off the breaker for that circuit. Call us. This is the most common precursor to an electrical fire.
Sparks or visible arcing from an outlet or switch
Don't touch it. Cut power at the panel if you can do it safely. We'll come out same-day.
A breaker that trips immediately every time you reset it
Means there's a fault somewhere on that circuit. The breaker is doing its job — don't fight it. Leave it off and call.
Total power loss to part of the house but utility power is fine
Often a tripped main breaker or a failing panel connection. Sometimes it's a half-loss (one leg of the 240V service is gone). Either way, it's a same-day call.
Outlets warm or hot to the touch
Loose neutral or aluminum-wiring connection oxidizing. Heat in an outlet is a fire risk — stop using it and call.
Water touching electrical equipment
Flooded basement with a live panel, water dripping near outlets, condensation in an outdoor disconnect. Shut off power at the meter if safe; call us before anyone touches the equipment.
Smoke from a panel, outlet, switch, or fixture
Cut power at the main breaker and call 911 first. Then call us — we'll come out as soon as the fire service clears the scene.
GFCI or AFCI that keeps tripping and won't reset
The device is protecting you. There's a real ground fault or arc fault somewhere on the circuit. Don't bypass it — call us.
When It Can Wait
A single breaker that tripped once and reset cleanly. A light that's out (probably the bulb). A flickering fixture on a windy day. An outlet that lost power to a single device. Annoying — but not dangerous. Call us during business hours and we'll book you in at regular rates.
The Response
Tim picks up. Not a call centre.
Most “24/7 emergency electrician” numbers route to a call-centre dispatcher who takes your address and a credit card hold before anyone calls you back. Then maybe a tech arrives in the morning.
Tim's phone goes off, Tim answers. If it's a real emergency, he's in the van inside 15 minutes from Newmarket. If it's something that can wait, he'll tell you that on the phone and book you in for the next day — no overnight charge to make a problem that wasn't actually an emergency.
ESA-certified. Fully insured. Same name on the truck, the licence, and the invoice.
Typical Response
Text or callback
Tim confirms what you're seeing and whether it's safe to wait or he should head over now.
On-site for fire / spark / smoke
Active hazards in Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill, Markham — same hour. Often under 30 minutes.
On-site for non-life-threatening
Tripped main, partial power loss, GFCI that won't reset, hot outlet. Same day across York Region.
Booked at regular rates
If it can wait, Tim says so. No upselling an emergency call you don't need.
Common Questions
Before you call, here's what people ask.
How fast can you get here?
Tim texts back within 15 minutes 90% of the time, day or night. For non-life-threatening emergencies in York Region, on-site usually within 2-4 hours. For active sparking, burning, or fire-adjacent situations, drop everything and head over — usually under an hour from Newmarket / Aurora / Richmond Hill / Markham.
What does an emergency call cost?
Standard hours (Mon-Fri 7am-6pm, Sat 8am-2pm) — same pricing as regular service. After-hours / overnight / Sunday — there's a higher call-out rate that Tim quotes on the phone before he heads over. No surprises.
Should I call you or 911?
If there's active fire, smoke, or someone's been shocked — 911 first, always. Once the immediate danger is handled, call us to make the system safe again. For everything else (sparks, burning smell with no fire, panel issue, power loss) — call us directly.
Do you do real emergency work or just regular jobs marketed as emergencies?
Real emergency work. Tim has done midnight calls for a flooded basement panel, a sparking outdoor disconnect in a thunderstorm, a smoking fixture in a young family's nursery. The phone rings, he picks up, he comes.
What if it turns out not to be an emergency?
Tim will tell you on the phone. If a tripped breaker can wait until morning, he'll say so and book you in for the next day at regular rates. He won't talk you into an after-hours call if your situation doesn't need one.
Not Urgent?
Tell Tim about it.
If it's not an active emergency but something's bothering you — flickering lights, a buzzing outlet, a breaker that keeps tripping — fill out the form. Tim texts back same day with a quote or a diagnostic visit.
Send Tim the details
30 seconds. Tim texts you back within 2 hours during business hours.
Smell smoke. See sparks. Call now.
Day or night. Tim picks up.
Call Tim — (416) 805-6676If there's active fire or someone's been shocked — 911 first.