Wiring for dummies?

[baybones]

Ok, I am a novice at electrical work. I had a short of some kind that burned a wire in two in the ceiling in the bathroom.  The box above the light fixture had one hot wire and three wires that connect to other lights down the circut.  I managed to reconnect all of my lights succesfully,  however there is one set of wires that I cannot Identify the end of that pops and flashes when I connect it to the hott wire.  Is it possible that the rouge wire is shorting.  Any idea why I am getting a pop/flash with the one wire.  I do have some lights in the basement that do not work.   Any suggestions would be appriciated,  Please ask any questions as Im sure my explination needs some clarification.  Thanks in advance. 

[JP]

Wow you are lucky you did not have a fire. Well there are a few possibilities, if you are connecting it with the power on something could be on the circuit drawing power and it would cause that. It is also possible that the wire is going to a switch and needs to be connected in a different way. Using a multi-meter to trace the wires are the only way to know for sure, these days you can get an inexpensive one for about $20 that will do the job.

Above all remember to be safe, it’s best to work with the power turned off at the circuit breaker, and make sure your connections are secure and work is done correctly. Electrical fires are a real possibility when things are done incorrectly.