Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

at 15/11/2010 11:10

Over the weekend a Praze family, who had prepared for the worst by fitting smoke detectors in their home, escaped from a fire which is believed to have been started by a candle.

The fact that the house was fitted with working smoke detectors meant that the family were alerted quickly and were able to evacuate the house and call the fire service straight away.

Two fire appliances from Camborne attended the incident at the detached house in Crowan, near Praze. Two firefighters wore breathing apparatus as they used a hose reel to extinguish the fire and then a thermal imaging camera to check for hot spots.

The fire is believed to have started in a first floor bedroom after a lit tea light was left burning on top of a television.

The tea light was not in a suitable holder and melted the top of the television allowing the tea light to fall into it and start a more serious fire.

Watch Manager Grant Nicholls explains, “The occupiers had had smoke detectors fitted and their responsible actions in planning how to be made aware of a fire and their quick thinking on being alerted to the incident meant that it was brought under control quickly and with the minimum amount of damage.”

Grant continues: “Candles are actually a rising cause of fire. Every year, a growing number of people are killed or injured because they are careless with them. Candles must not be left unattended and kept well away from combustible materials such as curtains, fabric and paper. In addition to this the holder that the candle is placed in must be suitable; otherwise it will set fire to whatever it is sitting on. At this time of the year especially, when you may be thinking of using candles as part of your Christmas decorations, it is very important to be vigilant.”

Top tips for candle safety

· If you must use candles, make sure they are on an appropriate stand or dish and are placed on a heat-resistant surface. Be especially careful with night lights and tea lights, which get hot enough to melt plastic; TVs are not fire-resistant objects.

· Never leave candles burning unattended

· Keep them away from Christmas decorations which are highly flammable

· Keep matches and lighters out of the reach of children

· Make sure you have a smoke detector so that if something does go wrong, you have an early warning

Related item: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=7277