As Candle Sales Rise, So Do Fires

Marty Ahrens had joined others at a friend's home when the long-haired cat of the house pranced past a low coffee table studded with lit candles.

The cat's swishing tail burst into flames. "The cat's on fire!" she yelled. Another guest clapped out the fire with her hands, saving the cat -- and possibly the house.

"If we hadn't noticed it," says Ms. Ahrens, "the cat could have raced through the house and quickly caused quite a problem."

As a fire analyst and author of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) report on home candle fires, Ms. Ahrens knows what she's talking about.

While heating equipment is still the top cause of winter home fires, the number of those fires has fallen by nearly half over the past quarter century. It seems we're heeding advice meant to head off heating-related fires, such as keeping combustible materials at least three feet from space heaters.

But fueled by record candle sales that topped $2.3 billion last year, fires started by candles have mushroomed. The NFPA says residential candle fires tripled during the 1990s, reaching 15,040 in 1999 (the most recent figures available). Those fires caused 102 deaths, 1,473 injuries and $278 million in property damage.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, nearly 45 percent of candle fires break out in bedrooms, where folks can fall asleep or flip bedclothes onto the candles. Leaving candles unattended or putting them too close to combustible materials accounted for 41 percent of candle fires.

The best advice? "Remember that a candle is an open flame," Ms. Ahrens says, "and treat it as such."

Use caution with candles

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission advises:

• Keep matches, lighters and candles away from children.

• Never leave burning candles unattended.

• Keep combustible materials away from candles.

• Don't put candles in spots where children or pets could knock them down.

• Use only nonflammable candleholders.

• Always trim wicks before lighting.