Flamed Candles a Leading Cause of Home Fires

It really is true. Those lovely candles with flames – that seem so innocent – are downright dangerous. Sure, the odds are relatively slim. But, there are 370,000 home fires a year, and 3% or 11,100 are caused by burning candles left unattended. Just ask celebrities Sharon and Ozzy Osborne, Ashley Greene and Courtney Love, each of whom lost their homes recently.

"I had a rough couple of months,” said the Twilight star Green on Wonderwall, two months after losing her beloved fox terrier in an apartment fire. While Greene’s fire started in the living room, it is the bedroom where house fires are second most likely to start (after the kitchen area due to cooking-related accidents), according to the National Fire Protection Association. Seven percent of home fire injuries are related to candles, partly because they most often begin in the bedroom while people are asleep.

Some homeowner’s insurance policies may not cover fire damage caused by candles due to owner’s negligence. From an insurer’s point of view, it’s one thing to have an unanticipated accidental fire while cooking, but it may be entirely different – negligence – if you just forget to blow out a candle, like the Osborne’s, and your home burns down.

“I know I’m biased, but we’ve replaced all the candles in our permanent home and vacation cottage with our flameless candles,” says Jack Leadbeater, CEO of The Amazing Flameless Candle™. “They give us everything we want in a candle, but without the risk.”

Not surprisingly, almost all colleges and universities prohibit the use of candles in dorms. Of course, that doesn’t mean students obey the rules! In fact, if your college kids are into candles, you might consider sending them flameless candles care package. After paying for tuition, room and board, the last thing you need is another bill for the dorm that burned down!