More Hard Lessons Learned - Tom Moore

Thursday, June 5, 2008

On May 21, a fire in a Rehoboth Beach structure destroyed and a second floor apartment and extensively damaged the physician’s office below. It took 60 firefighters, the initial contingent of which was on the scene within five minutes, over an hour to control this intense blaze. As reported in the Cape Gazette, the apartment occupant “was doing laundry and had sorted clothes in his bedroom, where a candle was burning. When he went down the hall to put another load of laundry in the washer, he smelled smoke.” He ran back to the room and found the whole bed on fire. After trying to extinguish the flames himself, he ran outside and called 911. Fire investigators may not be able to determine exactly how the candle, which was a multi-wick type, ignited the clothes since the candle was completed destroyed. One possibility is that one off the wicks burned through and out the side of the candle, igniting nearby combustibles. The fire marshal noted that improperly dispersed wicks in multi-wick candles that burn through the sides are a common problem. In 2005, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), which writes model fire codes, reported 15,600 home fires (about one every 34 minutes) started by candles that killed 150, injured 1,270 civilians and caused $539 million in property damage. Overall, candles caused 4% of reported home fires, 5% of home fire deaths, 10% of home fire injuries and 8% of property damage. While the winter holiday season accounts for most candle fires, they can happen anytime. The primary materials ignited by candles are furniture, curtains, cabinetry and bedding. Almost 40% of fires originate in a bedroom. In 20% of fires, the candle was unattended or abandoned. Safety groups are constantly responding to this problem. The NFPA recently created educational media campaigns and provided lesson plans for use by fire departments and educators. It also published a brochure entitled “Candle with Care” (order at http://www.nfpacatalog.org/). ASTM, an organization that creates voluntary standards for thousands of materials and products, is now working on safety standards for candle accessories. If you use candles, here’s a list of things you can do to protect you and your family. Please note that most of them were ignored in the recent fire. I would also point out that the occupant violated another important fire safety practice and risked severe injury and, possibly, death by trying to put the fire out, which also delayed the 911 call. • Burn candles only inside a one-foot diameter “circle of safety” that is free of anything that could ignite. • Never use candles in bedrooms and sleeping areas. • Extinguish candles after each use. Be careful not to spatter hot wax. • Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets. • Use a sturdy metal, glass or ceramic candle holder. Make sure the holder is large enough to catch drippings. • Never leave a burning candle unattended. • Use a flashlight, not a candle, for emergency lighting. • Consider using battery-operated, flameless candles. These and most other safety precautions are easy to follow. Having property destroyed or a life lost is the wrong way to learn a lesson. Tom Moore is fire chief for the BBVFC, where he has been a member since 1996. He is the ambulance supervisor and a firefighter/EMT with the Rehoboth Beach VFC and works part-time in the latter capacity with the Ocean City VFC. Tom lives in Ocean View with his wife, Debbie, and their son and can be reached at [email protected].