Candles are the 5th leading causes of house fires and account for 3% of all home fire deaths. Never leave a burning candle unattended.
Oklahoma City, OK. — An unattended candle was determined to be the cause of a fire Thursday morning at a southwest Oklahoma City home near Southwest 36th Street and Blackwelder Avenue.
Crews responded to the fire at around 5 a.m., and they couldn’t find anybody inside the house. However, authorities said the homeowner arrived and confessed to firefighters that he had left an unattended candle burning in the front room.
A dog that was in the home got outside safely and no injuries were reported.
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Florence, S.C. — Florence Fire Department crews extinguished a house fire that was caused by an unattended candle.
Firefighters arrived at a Rebecca Street home at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday morning and found smoke coming from the home.
Firefighters had the fire under control in 20 minutes and no injuries were reported.
The Florence Fire Department responded with 3 Engine companies, a Ladder company and a Command Officer. In addition, the Florence Police Department and Florence County EMS were on scene.
The Red Cross assisted the homeowners.
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Ajax, Ontario, Canada — A house fire broke out February 22 in Ajax’s Taunton Road and Westney Road area and an investigation determined the blaze was caused by a lit candle left unattended in an ensuite bathroom. No one was harmed in the fire.
“Fire can happen anywhere, at any time. Most often, it strikes when we let our guard down. It is imperative that you keep candles away from anything that can burn. If you use real candles, please remember to blow them out when you leave the room,” Shelley Langer, Ajax Fire Prevention Inspector.
The Inspector also reminded residents of the importance of smoke alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors.
Smoke alarms should be installed on all levels of a home and outside all sleeping quarters.
Smoke alarms should be tested every month and their batteries should be replaced yearly and should be replaced every ten years.
CO detectors should be installed outside every sleeping area in a home with a fuel burning appliance, fireplaces, or with an attached garage. CO detectors should be tested every month and their batteries should be replaced yearly. CO detectors last about five to seven years.
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Middleboro, MA —A seriously injured man was rescued a from a third-floor window of a veterans’ home that caught fire by a Massachusetts State Police trooper officials said.
At about 1:12 a.m. on Tuesday, the Middleboro Fire Department responded to a house fire at the Acorn Hill Home at 285 West Grove St.
According to Fire Chief Lance Benjamino, first responders found heavy fire coming from the upper two stories of the domicile when they arrived.
The Middleboro Fire Department extinguished a fire at a home for veterans at 285 West Grove St. on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022.
John Hagerty, a State Police trooper was passing by the home when he discovered the fire and he used a ground ladder to rescue a seriously injured man from the third floor, according to officials. The man was hospitalized as was Hagerty was also injured during the daring rescue and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Benjamino said crews “mounted an aggressive exterior fire attack” then went inside to finish extinguishing the fire. It took about 45 minutes for firefighters to get the fire under control.
12 other residents who live in the house were able to evacuate on their own, officials said. Two of those residents were evaluated on scene, but declined to be taken to the hospital.
The home is considered a total loss as a result of the heavy fire and smoke damage, meaning 13 residents were displaced who are being assisted by the American Red Cross.
State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey and Benjamino said that the fire was caused by an unattended candle in a second-floor bedroom.
“As we saw here, the flame from one small candle can cause a fire that destroys a home,” Benjamino said. “Given the early hour, we’re very lucky more people weren’t injured or worse. Always exercise caution with candles, and never leave a burning candle unattended.”
Firefighters from the Lakeville, Raynham and Carver fire departments assisted the Middleboro crew and Wareham firefighters provided station coverage during the incident.
Candles are the 5th leading causes of house fires and account for 3% of all home fire deaths so, here are some candles burning tips from the Mohawk Valley Trading Company:
- Never leave a burning candle unattended.
- Keep burning candles away from pets and children.
- Keep burning candles away from flammable materials.
- Remove paper label from candle before lighting.
- Burn candles only in a draft-free environment away from open windows, fans, air ducts, etc. This will help to prevent any smoking or dripping.
- Light the candle wick from the base of the wick, where the wick comes out of the candle. This allows the beeswax to be absorbed into the wick.
- Keep the wick trimmed to about 1/4″ when burning.
