September
8, 2005- Half of those who died in fires started by candles in homes in
the United States were under the age of
20, according to a study released this week from the National
Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The study dovetails with this
year’s Fire Prevention Week theme, “Use Candles with Care: When you go out
,blow out”. (Fire Prevention Week is the yearly public service campaign, sponsored by the
NFPA for more than 80 years.)
Candle fires have tripled since 1990. Candles started 18,000 fires
in 2001 and 2002. These fires
caused an estimated 130 deaths, 1,350 civilian injuries, and $333
million in direct property damage during 2002. (The most recent year for which
statistics are available.)
Falling asleep while a candle was lit was a factor in twenty-five
percent of the fatalities.
Nearly one-quarter of the fatal home candle fires occurred in properties
in which the power had been shut off. Seven percent occurred during temporary
power outages.
Patterns sites
of origin associated
deaths
40%
start in the bedroom 30
percent
17%
start in living rooms 36 percent
14%
start in bathrooms
6 percent
8% start in kitchens 4 percent
3% start in dining rooms 3 percent
Fatalities by age %
of population %
of candle fire deaths
0-4 years of age 6.8 17
5-9 years of age 7.3 16
10-19 years of age 14.5 14
20-34 years of age 20.9 09
35-49 years of age 23.2 13
50-64 years of age 14.9 16
65-74 years of age 6 08
74-84 years of age 4.4 04
85+ years of age 1.5 03
Note- The
information and statistics used in this article are property of the NFPA
Copyrighted 2005. Used with permission.
For more information, visit www.nfpa.org
The Chester Vol. Fire Department is teaming up with the NFPA and
thousands of fire departments across North America to educate the public about
fire safety as it relates to
candle usage. Some safety
tips you can follow:
·
Extinguish all candles when leaving the room or going to sleep.
·
Keep candles away from items that can ignite including clothing,
books, and
curtains.
·
Keep candles away from flammable liquids.
·
During power outages, avoid using candles…USE A FLASHLIGHT1
·
Don’t leave candles in children’s rooms, nor allow children to
light or handle candles.
·
Keep candle wicks trimmed to one-quarter inch of wick showing.
·
Use sturdy, hard to tip candle holders
·
Keep candles away from table edges where children or pets could
knock them over.
·
Keep candles away from drafty areas ( open windows, near fans,
etc).
·
Even when you think you have extinguished a candle…don’t leave until
the wick
quits glowing.