Candle Fire Safety

3/23/2018 (Permalink)

According to National Fire Safety Association, “Roughly one-third (36%) of home candle fires started in bedrooms. These fires caused 32% of the associated deaths and 47% of the associated injuries. Falling asleep was a factor in 11% percent of the home candle fires and 30% of the associated deaths. On average, 25 home candle fires were reported per day.”

Some safety tips to remember when burning a candle:

• Always keep a burning candle within sight.  Extinguish all candles when leaving a room or before going to sleep. Be sure the wick ember is no longer glowing.

• Be sure the candle-holder is placed on a stable, heat-resistant surface. This can help prevent heat damage to underlying surfaces and prevent glass containers from breaking.
• Always burn candles in a well-ventilated room. Don’t burn too many candles in a small room or in a “tight” home where air exchange is limited.
• Place burning candles at least three inches apart from one another. This helps ensure they don’t melt one another, or create their own drafts to cause improper burning.
• Keep burning candles away from drafts, vents, ceiling fans and air currents. This will help prevent rapid, uneven burning, and avoid flame flare-ups and sooting. Drafts can also blow nearby lightweight items into the flame where they could catch fire.
• Use a snuffer to extinguish a candle. It’s the safest way to prevent hot wax splatters.

When putting out a candle fire, never extinguish candles with water. The water can cause the hot wax to splatter and might cause a glass container to break. Make sure that you have a fire extinguisher within reach.  Never use water, as it will spread the fire.  If you don't have a proper fire extinguisher nearby, use baking soda, sand or flour to extinguish the flames.

If you experience a fire in your home or business, give SERVPRO of LaGrange Park/North Riverside a call at 708-240-4873.  We are always here to help.