Fire department offers tips on candle safety

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Elizabeth Van Patten
  • 94th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. --  From 2006-2010, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 11,640 home structure fires that were started by candles, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. These fires caused 126 deaths, 953 injuries and $438 million in direct property damage.

Candles cause three percent of reported home fires, 5 percent of home fire deaths, seven percent of home fire injuries, and six percent of the direct property damage from home fires on average a year.

The Dobbins Fire Department offers these guidelines for safe use of candles:
· Trim candlewicks to a quarter inch before use. Long or crooked wicks cause dripping.
· Use a candleholder specifically designed for candle use. The holder should be heat resistant,
sturdy and large enough to contain any drips or melted wax. Be sure the candleholder is placed on a stable surface.
· Never leave candles unattended. Extinguish all candles when you leave a room or before
going to sleep.
· Never burn a candle on or near anything that can catch fire. Keep burning candles away from furniture, drapes, bedding, carpets, books, paper or flammable decorations.
· Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets.
· Keep burning candles away from drafts, vents and air currents. This will help prevent rapid, uneven burning, smoking and excessive dripping. Drafts can also blow lightweight curtains or papers into the flame where they could catch fire. Ceiling fans can cause drafts.
· Always burn candles in a well-ventilated room.
· Extinguish the flame if it comes too close to the holder or container. For a margin of safety, discontinue burning a candle when two inches of wax remain (half an inch if in a container). This will also help prevent possible heat damage to the counter/surface and prevent glass containers from cracking or breaking.
· Never touch or move a votive or container candle when the wax is liquid.
· Extinguish pillar candles if the wax pool approaches the outer edge.

"In general, candle fires are preventable," said Michael Hodgson, Dobbins ARB Fire Department assistant chief of fire prevention. "The majority of candle fires are a direct result of negligence. No personnel should be burning candles in base facilities. Fire and life safety is a shared responsibility by all who use, occupy and work in base facilities."