A candle, some fuel, and a little carelessness can be the elements of a holiday tragedy.
New Year's Eve is the second most dangerous holiday for candle fires, next to Christmas. There were 150 candle-related fires on New Year's Day alone in 1999, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Christmas Day had 200 candle-related fires.
As candles have grown more popular, so have the dangers. In 1999, there were an estimated 15,040 home candle fires that caused 102 deaths, 1,473 injuries and $278 million in damage. By contrast, in 1990, there were 5,460 home fires attributed to candles.
The hazards of candles are not always obvious. For one thing, if left lit too long, some candles can overheat and, like trick birthday candles, they can even spontaneously re-ignite after being snuffed out.
Here are some safety tips:
Most candle fires were caused by combustibles being too close to the candle. Burn candles inside a one-foot circle of safety, free of anything that can burn.
Don't place lit candles in windows, where blinds or curtains can cover them.
The second most common cause of candle fires is due to the candle falling over or being knocked over by wind, doors, children or pets.
Place candles on stable surfaces, in sturdy holders that grip the candle securely and won't tip over. If a taper candle seems to be loose in its holder, tap the bottom of the candle on a flat surface a couple of times to widen the base.
Many times the candle has a stem too large for its candle holder. Candle sharpeners can be used to eliminate most of this problem but many times they will still need some fine adjustment. If so, set the stem of the candle in a half inch of hot tap water (this softens the wax on the outside of the candle). Push the candle into the holder gently. The stem will custom fit to the candle holder.
Be sure to extinguish candles before they burn too far down. Do not blow hard to put out any candle. You can blow pieces of the hot wick off onto items in your home that can ignite quickly. In fact, instead of blowing out the candle, it is better to use a snuffer, pushing the candle wick into the liquid wax to eliminate smoking.
Extinguish taper and pillar candles when they burn down to within two inches of the holder. Put out votive and container candles before the last half-inch of wax begins to melt.
Long wicks create a very tall flame that burns in an irregular pattern, so they should be trimmed to one quarter of an inch above the surface. The best way to trim the wicks is to make sure candle is completely cooled, then turn upside down over the trash and use a large pair of nail clippers. This way you can clip the wick close to the gel and remove it all at once without dropping flammable debris back into the candle.
If the wick is not placed properly, it causes localized overheating of the container and a liquid pool of wax. Such conditions can cause uneven temperature dissipation and possible cracking of the container. Make sure candle containers are made of metal, glass or ceramic and are not combustible. Plastic or wood products should not be used. Combustible materials such as wood and plastic should never be embedded into a candle. They can ignite and cause flare-ups. Only non-combustible materials such as glass marbles, rocks, or shells should be used.
Larger containers will frequently use multiple wicks. Multiple wicks mean multiple flames, and the more flame the hotter the melted pool of wax; thus the greater danger of the container cracking.