Candle Obsession

You were always taught never to leave candles unattended, right?

You were probably also made aware of the dangers of leaving lit candles close to curtains and soft furnishing. Especially near a window or door where the breeze may blow curtains toward the flame. Thus causing a fire, but until you have witnessed an exploding candle it is not something most people think about.

Candles

Yes, candles can explode!

No, not the dynamite type but from the beautiful, highly scented candles that many people use in their homes, business and therapy rooms to the plain unscented church candle. Tt can be the smallest candle to the large pillar type. All are prone to explode given the right situation. Thankfully, this does not happen often but when it does you will certainly get a fright and can cause injury and or a fire.

What causes candles to explode?

For a candle to burn properly it needs wax, oxygen, heat and of course a wick. If water is added to the hot wax an explosion may occur. This is because the flame of the candle already has a source of oxygen from the air and then the water interrupts the way the oxygen reaches the flame.

Water being sprayed or spilt on a burning candle has a similar effect to water being thrown into a pot containing hot oil. The oil or in this case wax will “spit” out everywhere as the oxygen means the burning will be much faster and over a greater area. Any person close enough may suffer burns and indeed a fire may ensue and accelerate very quickly.

Now, should your candle be in a glass container? There is the likelihood that the glass container may shatter sending shards of glass flying which may cause serious injury.

How to fix!

At this stage it is obvious that dousing the flame with water would make the situation worse. Starving the fire of oxygen is the best method and baking powder is ideal for this and great if you have some in the kitchen and is easily accessible. It is wise to keep some within handy reach when burning candles. Using a non-flammable item such as a large saucepan lid or a fire extinguisher suitable for an oil fire. A fire blanket is also a handy item to have nearby.

Tips for prevention

Always keep an eye on the candle and never leave a lit candle unattended.

Move candles to higher areas to avoid them coming into contact with water, children or pets and to minimise the likelihood of the candle being knocked over.

Always be aware of the surface you candle is sitting on; it is possible that the surface may get very hot?

Check the manufacturer’s instructions before lighting.

Always discard any candle that has been wet and do not use again, to do so is playing with fire so to speak.

Blow out your candles before leaving the room and make sure they are really out. Sometimes you may think you have blown out the candle, turn your back quickly but flame has not been extinguished.

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