30 January 2012 - Candles can start a blaze warns fire service
The risks from candles were highlighted this weekend when firefighters had to attend two separate house fires accidentally sparked by candles.
In the first case, fire crews extinguished a blaze in the living room of a sixth floor flat at Hailesland Park, Edinburgh on Friday evening (27 January).
The alarm was raised shortly after 9pm. When firefighters arrived, they were confronted with thick smoke in the stairwell. Neighbours next to the property on fire, an 80-year-old woman and her great granddaughter aged six, were unable to leave their house due to smoke in the common stair. Two firefighters remained with them until their colleagues had put out the fire and vented the property and stair.
There was extensive smoke damage to the affected flat. Six firefighters in breathing apparatus extinguished the fire and made the area safe in just under an hour.
The neighbours were checked over by ambulance crews at the scene. Firefighters remained on site until just after 11pm, cutting away smoke damaged areas of the property and making investigations. It was established that a candle was the cause of the fire.
The following morning (28 January) firefighters were called to West Fenton Gait, Gullane, East Lothian shortly before midday to a report of a house alight. The smoke alarm had activated after smoke from a candle which had been knocked over in the bedroom.
The fire was extinguished on arrival and one female casualty was treated with oxygen before being handed into the care of ambulance crews.
A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service said: “If you use candles in your home you must take extra care with fire safety. It’s all too easy for a candle to be forgotten or knocked over and before you know it, you have a house fire.
“Never leave candles unattended and check that they are in a place where they are not likely to spark a blaze. Keep them on a stable surface, in an appropriate holder and away from curtains and open windows.
“As always, a working smoke alarm is vital. This will alert you if a fire does break out and will give you time to get out of the premises and raise the alarm.”
Enquiries: Ruth MacLeod, Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service, Tel: 0131 228 2401
|
