Candle Fire Safety

Candles are pretty but they cause many home fires. Candles have open flames, and can easily ignite anything that can burn.

So many of our winter holiday celebrations include candles, and there are more candle fires at this time of year. In the past five years, more candle fires happened between Halloween and New Year’s Eve than any other time. Christmas Day has the 2nd most residential candle fires of any day during the year.

Candle safety tips

Burn candles within a 1 foot circle, free of anything that can burn.
Before you leave a room or the house, blow out candles. Never leave candles burning unattended.
Always extinguish candles after use.
Use a non-combustible saucer or candle holder.
Keep candles out of reach of children and pets.

To be safe, consider using flameless candles. Have flashlights and battery-powered lighting ready to use during a power outage instead of candles.

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