How to Avoid Home Fires Caused by Candles

6/25/2024 (Permalink)

Candles should always be placed in plain sight and spaced reasonably apart

What sets the mood better than a romantic glow? That said, a wayward candle fire could just as easily ruin a special evening. If such an incident takes hold in your house, you will inevitably need a fire damage cleanup specialist to set things right.

Candle Incident Statistics

You may be shocked to learn some data concerning how often candle fires occur:

• They account for 2% of all reported home blazes.
• Every day, there are 21 unique reports of such accidents.
• 60% of all candle-related incidents occur when unsecured combustible material comes into contact with flames.
  
  

In consideration of the above, decreasing the number of mishaps caused by candles remains a worthy objective. Luckily, commonsense measures can curb your odds of requiring smoke cleanup and other restoration procedures.

Candle Fire Prevention
Before setting anything alight, consider a flameless alternative. On top of their inherent safety, electric candles sometimes come with flashy features like remote controls and flicker settings. Should you opt for the real deal, forego the use of matches. Instead, use a long, flexible lighter that gives control over the flame’s size and cools nearly instantaneously.
Always keep wax clean and remove flammable remnants such as dust or hair. Never use a plastic container and toss cracked glass. Using a wick trimmer, bring the string to 1/8th of an inch. Note, too, that when wax gets low it becomes unsafe. Stop burning once your jarred candle reaches a half-inch. Non-jarred candles should be retired after arriving at the two-inch mark.
Candles should always be placed in plain sight and spaced reasonably apart. Only extinguish flames with a snuffer, never water, and use them exclusively in properly ventilated rooms.
Nobody wants their home burned by a candle fire, but observation of best practices can help prevent disaster. Simple due diligence can stop your residence from suffering the fate of so many others.