A candle left burning as a resident fell asleep started a September fire in a Brighton building. Candle Fire Safety Week runs to 1 November: the advice.
Three people were treated for smoke inhalation after a candle fire in a Brighton residential building in September. East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is using the fire to warn people during Candle Fire Safety Week, which runs from 26 October to 1 November.
The service published details of the fire on Monday. It has not said which street the building was in.
What happened in Brighton
Crews arrived to find a well-developed fire at the rear of the property. Heavy smoke was coming from the second-floor windows.
The building’s fire alarm had gone off. One resident stayed asleep and was woken by another occupant.
Three people suffered smoke inhalation and were handed into the care of the ambulance service. Firefighters also rescued a cat, unharmed.
The service believes the fire started from a candle that had not been put out before a resident fell asleep.
A candle behind a door in Newhaven
The service also highlighted a house fire in Newhaven, about nine miles east along the coast of Brighton, in August. A resident had gone out briefly and forgot a candle was still burning on a shelf behind a door.
The flame caught clothes hanging on the door, and the fire spread into the hallway. Nobody was hurt and firefighters gave the household advice.
The service said both fires show “how easily accidental fires can start from candles and how quickly they can escalate”. They also show how much a working smoke alarm matters for an early warning, it said.
Why this week
Candle Fire Safety Week is part of the national Fire Kills campaign, and fire services across the country are taking part. The service says candle fires cause around 300 casualties a year. About a third of the candle fires that fire services attend end in death or injury, it says.
Candles get more use as the evenings draw in, and around festivals. The service names Halloween, Bonfire Night, Diwali, Bodhi Day, Hanukkah and Christmas.
What it means for you
The service’s advice for anyone using candles at home:
- Use LED or flameless candles instead of wick candles where you can.
- If you rent or are a leaseholder, check whether your lease allows candles.
- Never leave a lit candle unattended. Put candles out when you leave the room, and make sure they are fully out at night.
- Stand every candle, tealights included, on or in a suitable fireproof holder on a stable surface, out of reach of children and pets.
- Keep candles away from curtains, furniture, bedding and books.
- Do not move a candle once it is lit.
- Do not burn several candles close together, as the flames can flare.
- Burn candles in a well-ventilated room, away from draughts, vents and air currents.
- Always put scented candles in a heat-resistant holder, because they are designed to turn liquid when hot.
- Fit smoke alarms, test them now and then once a month.
- Make sure everyone at home knows what to do in a fire, and practise your escape route.
A working smoke alarm “can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and call 999”, the service says. More advice is on its candles, decorative lights and decorations page.
The service also offers free home safety visits on 0800 177 7069. Last week it ran free electric blanket testing at Hove Fire Station.
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