Candle Safety
Candles are a major cause of home fires – and home fire deaths.
Candles may be beautiful, but for many families across the nation, they have also proved deadly. On average, a candle fire in the home is reported to a U.S. fire department every 30 minutes. In many instances, the result has been extensive property damage and, in some cases, loss of life.
You Can Avoid Common Problems by Using Common Sense.
Fire was started by a candle. The curtains in the bedroom caught fire.
Luckily no one was hurt.
If you’re going to use candles in your home, here are some facts that you should be aware of. More than one-third of all candle-related fires start in the bedroom. Over one-quarter occurred after candles were left unattended. It may seem obvious but keeping candles out of the bedroom where you may fall asleep and making sure to never leave a candle in your home unattended could save lives.
Here Are Some Simple Safety Tips to Help Avoid the Risk of Fire:
- Keep candles away from items that may catch fire such as curtains, books, etc.
- Use sturdy candleholders that won’t tip over and will catch dripping wax.
- Keep candlewicks trimmed to one-quarter inch. Votive candles and containers should be extinguished when they melt down to the last half inch.
- Keep candles out of reach of children and never leave a child alone with a lit candle.
- Don’t use candles during power outages. Rely instead on battery powered light sources.
- Take advantage of the new battery powered lights that are designed to look and flicker like candles.
