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Candles Are a Major Cause of House Fires

With the holidays fast approaching, people bring out all the old holiday decorations and purchase new ones. Some of those new decorations will be candles. Christmas without candles is like an ice cream cone without the ice cream. The National Fire Protection Association (http://www.mfpa.org) report candles are the 4th leading cause of house fires. With this in mind, it is important to review basic candle safety.



When purchasing candles, make sure they are good quality candles that will burn evenly. Candles that burn evenly will maintain an even flame, and hot wax will pool into the candle, not run onto items around the candle. Uneven burning candles can spill wax or cause the wick to shift.



When placing candles in decorations, set the candles in fire retardant holders designed for candles. When placing candles in wreaths or other natural decorations, make sure the candle flame is significantly higher than the decorations. Carefully check to ensure the candle is stable in the decorations. Extinguish the candle when it burns down to 2" to 3" above the decorations.



Always remove all decorations and paper from the candles before burning. Any raffia, wrapping paper, or tags on the candles can catch fire.



The general care and maintenance of candles is important for preventing any type of accidental fire also. These include: keep wick trimmed to 1/4", keep wax pool free of debris, do not move a lit candle, wait until the wax pool has cooled before moving the candle, and extinguish pillar candles if the wax pool come too close to the edge of the candle.



Probably the most important candle safety tip is never leave lit candles unattended. No matter how careful you may be in decorating with candles, accidents can happen.



For more safety tips go to the National Candle Association at http://www.candles.org.



Have a happy and safe Holiday Season.



Elaine Hilowitz is owner of the online candle store www.theluminescents.com

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