Candle Fires Over the Last Decade Candle fires had become a serious problem in Massachusetts during the decade of the 1990’s, nearly tripling from 93 incidents in 1990 to an all time high of 342 in 1999. The following chart shows candle fires over the past decade increasing from 272 candle fires in 1997 to the peak of 342 candle fires in 1999 and then decreasing to 178 in 2006.
There has been a downward trend in candle fires since the year 2000. Stronger public education and tougher industry standards are the main reasons for this downturn. From 1999 to 2006 this drop increased to 48%. In 2000, State Fire Marshal Coan began reaching out to candle manufacturers and retailers in Massachusetts to ask for their help in educating consumers on candle fire safety and to highlight and separate fire safety information from other fire safe use tips. He also asked them to adopt the candle Circle of Safety logo, to use it in their printed materials and on their web pages. Joint Study with the NFPA. In 1999, a new effort to analyze these incidents began. In conjunction with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the Office of the State Fire Marshal conducted a follow-up survey that went out to any fire department having a candle fire for one year. The goal was to gain a greater understanding of these incidents, why they are happening and what we can do to prevent them. Major findings from the report were: 75% of the fires occurred when the candle was left unattended. 40% of the fires resulted from combustible materials being too close to the candle. Teenagers face the greatest risk of starting candle fires. Although teens account for only 9% of the state population, 21% of the
candle fires were attributed to them. Two-thirds of candle users, however, were between 20 and 64 years old. 98% of the candles used in Massachusetts’ candle fires were not needed as sources of light but were used for other purposes such as decoration, pleasure or mood. The downward trend is contrary to the national trend of the increasing problem of candle fires, especially in residences. According to the NFPA’s most recent statistics[1], the share of fires started by candles in homes has jumped to 5%. In Massachusetts candle fires only represent 1% of total residential building fires. New NFPA Study The study indicates that candle fires are still a national fire problem accounting for 4% of residential fires. They study found that the top five days for home candle fires were Christmas, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Day, New Year’s Eve, and Halloween. |
