STOW, MA – Candle Safety Day is observed on the second Monday of December, and State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey is reminding residents to follow safety guidelines as we enter the period when most candle fires start.
“There have been more than 1,000 candle fires in Massachusetts over the past 10 years,” State Fire Marshal Ostroskey said. “Together, they caused nine deaths, 192 injuries, and over $32 million in damages. More of these fires started in December than in any other month, and especially on the days leading up to Christmas. If candles are part of your celebration or decoration, be sure to use them carefully.”
Candles are part of many holiday traditions this time of year, including Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. State Fire Marshal Ostroskey offered the following safety tips to reduce the risk of fire:
- No matter the season, have working smoke alarms on every level of your home, outside bedrooms, at the top of open stairs, and at the base of cellar stairs.
- Keep a one-foot “circle of safety” around candles, free of anything that can burn.
- Always extinguish candles when you leave the room or go to sleep, and don’t leave them unattended.
- Use a non-combustible saucer or candleholder.
- Keep candles out of reach of children and pets, and store matches and lighters up high where kids can’t access them.
- Consider switching to battery-operated flameless candles.
There were 93 candle fires in Massachusetts last year and 75 took place in residential settings. The most common location was the bedroom, followed by the kitchen, bathroom, and living room. One such fire in Boston began when a candle ignited bedroom curtains and spread, causing half a million dollars in damages and displacing five people from their home.
“Candle fires peaked in Massachusetts in 1999, when we recorded 342 of them,” State Fire Marshal Ostroskey said. “The following year, we began observing Candle Safety Day on the second Monday of December to promote awareness of the problem. Since that time, we’ve observed a 73% decrease in candle fires. Let’s continue to practice safe candle use, especially around the holidays.”
For more candle safety resources, including Spanish-language information, visit the DFS website.
