Quiz: Shedding some light on candle safety

Candles and holidays go together like Santa and cookies, Chanukah and dreidels. Unfortunately, the candle combination can be a dangerous one when the candles are used carelessly. Just how dangerous? Take the quiz below to find out. 

Q: What is the peak month for home candle fires?

1. January
2. March         
3. October
4. December

A: (4) December is the peak time for home candle fires. In that month 13 percent of home candle fires began with decorations compared to 4 percent the rest of the year, according to the National Fire Protection Association. And the biggest days for home candle fires: Christmas, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Day, New Year’s Eve and Halloween. 

Q: How often is a home candle fire reported?

1. Nearly every half hour
2. Almost every hour
3. Every two hours
4. Once a day.

A: (1) The NFPA says that, on average, one home candle fire was reported every 34 minutes between 2002 and 2005.

Q: How many deaths are there annually in the U.S. due to candle-related fires?

1. 50
2. 170
3. 350
4. 425

A: (2) The Consumer Product Safety Commission says there are about 170 deaths a year in 14,000 candle-related fires. The fires result in $350 million in annual property loss.

Q: Candles cause what percentage of  home fire injuries?

1. 2
2. 5
3. 7
4. 10 percent

A: (4) Overall, candles caused 4 percent of reported home fires in 2005, resulting in 5 percent of home fire deaths and 10 percent of the injuries.

Q: How did more than half of the candle fires get started?

1. The candles were used on dried-out trees.
2. Too many candles on a birthday cake.
3. Children using matches to light candles.
4. Candles placed too close to flammable items.

A: (4) More than half of all candle fires started when the candle was too close to something that could burn—such as  furniture, mattresses or bedding, curtains or decorations.

Q: In what percent of the candle-related fires were candles left unattended or forgotten?

1. 5
2. 10
3. 15
4. 20

A: (4) In one-fifth of the fires, candles were unattended or abandoned. What’s more, two-fifths of home candle fires begin in the bedroom—although the candle industry has found that only 13 percent of candle users routinely burn candles in the bedroom. In other words, don’t use candles as a night light or fall asleep before extinguishing any lighted candles.

We hope those sobering facts shed some light on candle safety and cause you to be extra vigilant this year. To ensure that, follow these safety tips from the National Candle Association.

• Always keep a burning candle within sight. Extinguish all candles when leaving a room or before going to sleep, making sure the wick ember is no longer glowing.
• Never burn a candle on or near anything that can catch fire. Keep burning candles away from holiday decorations, Christmas trees, furniture, drapes, bedding, carpets, books, etc.
• Place candles at least three inches apart from one another to make sure they don’t melt one another or create their own drafts to cause other candles to burn improperly.
• Trim candlewicks to ¼-inch each time before burning. Long or crooked wicks cause uneven burning and dripping.
• Always use a candleholder specifically designed for candle use. It should be resistant, sturdy and large enough to contain any drips or melted wax. And make sure a candleholder is placed on a stable, heat-resistant surface.
• Don’t burn a candle all the way down. Extinguish the flame if it comes too close to the holder or container. Also extinguish the candle if it smokes, flickers repeatedly or flames becomes too high; it isn’t burning properly and flame isn’t controlled. Let the candle cool, trim the wick, then check for drafts before relighting.
• Never extinguish candles with water—the water can cause hot wax to splatter and cause a glass container to break.
• When buying decorative candles, check to make sure they are not decorated with flammable coatings such as glitter or bark. The CPSC has recalled several types of candles this year for that reason (see photos).

Candle recalls

• 13,000 snowman and tree candle sets
• 6,300 4-wick decorative candles
• 1,200 birch bark wrapped candles
• 29,000 sequin glitter candles