Candle Safety Tips for Earth Hour
I’ve just read that candles are a growing cause of fire. Each year, more and more deaths are being attributed to fire caused by candles. If this is the case, then Earth Hour will surely be a high risk time for house fires caused by candles.
Because of this, I decided to compile a list of candle safety tips. I collected these from a range of different authority websites on fire safety. If you plan to use candles during Earth Hour (or any other time for that matter!), try to follow these tips:
- Place all candles on a heat resistant surface. Night lights and tea lights get particularly hot underneath.
- Place all candles in a sturdy holder that stands upright and won’t fall over.
- Never place candles near curtains (or anything else that could catch fire).
- Keep candles away from draughts. A small draught could blow the flame onto something flammable.
- Keep your clothes and hair away from candles. For example, never reach over a candle to pick something up.
- Keep children and pets away from all candles.
- Keep candles at least 10 cm apart from each other.
- Place scented candles in a glass or metal holder. This is because scented candles turn to liquid in order to release their fragrance.
- Never move a candle while it’s burning.
- Always keep an eye on your candles.
- Always extinguish candles before leaving the room unattended.
- Always use a candle snuffer or spoon to extinguish your candles. This is safer than blowing them out (which can result in sparks).
- Double check that all candles are out.
Tags: candles, Climate Change, earth hour, Global Warming, Sustainability
