It has been posted before but I need to post again. For the last month I have been smelling burned wiring off and on. Today the fireplace quit working (thank goodness). The black power cord connection screws were loose causing it to get real hot.
Hot enough to melt the casing for the splice. Photos follow later today. Lucky for us it did not cause a fire.
If you smell burned wires and have a fire place please check them.
I believe I tightened these leads before. If you notice the failed part is not at the screw tension area but the crimp area that I would not normally check.
Here is a link to the fire place removal slide show.
Remember to unplug the fire place if you are going to work on it!