I was installing a brushed nickel outlet cover and touched the cover with the metal on my light I was plugging in. There was a spark, a little smoke, and the outlet turned a little black. I tried the outlet above it and it works, but I am afraid to plug into the on that turned black. Can I still use it if it works? Could it start a fire in the walls? The only reason I am asking is when I was a child we had an electrical fire in the walls due to a faulty plug and electricity scares me to death. Thank you for your help!
Jessica

Best to replace any damaged electrical devices right away, and do not use until repairs are made. One never knows how much damage was done.

A few months after I shorted out an outlet, when I was a kid, the carbon between the two blade openings began conducting power, and the outlet was arcing on its own. Fortunately this was caught right away, if left alone, who knows what could have happened.