Candle Fire Survey Supports NFPA’s Public Safety Message

Quincy, MA – A new survey commissioned by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) finds that many U.S. adults are practicing candle safety, one of the important home fire safety messages that NFPA sends out during Fire Prevention Week and throughout the year.

According to the candle survey, conducted by Harris Interactive(r), most U.S. adults who use candles at least once a year say they never deliberately leave a candle burning overnight (91 percent) or inadvertently fall asleep while a candle is lit (81 percent).

NFPA commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct a survey on candle safety for the NFPA-sponsored Fire Prevention Week (FPW), which is being held this year October 9 through 15. FPW is observed throughout the month of October. This year’s theme is “Use Candles with Care. When You Go Out, Blow Out.” A telephone survey was conducted with 1,002 adults, ages 18 and older, living in private households in the continental United States.

“We are excited to learn that people are getting our Fire Prevention Week message and using candles with care,” said NFPA Assistant Vice President for Public Education, Judy Comoletti. “Placing candles a safe distance from anything that can burn and extinguishing them when you leave the room are important measures when using candles in the home.”

The survey found that 3 in 10 (29 percent) adults who use candles at least once a year have a specific household rule to never leave a burning candle unattended. But about 2 in 10 (18 percent) have no specific household rules at all when it comes to candle use.

Respondents who use candles at least once a year in homes where children are not present are more likely to say they have no specific household rules regarding candles than those in homes where children are present (21 percent of empty nest homes and 24 percent of homes with no children vs. 9 percent of homes with a child).

The survey also found that among younger adults who use candles at least once a year, there is a higher likelihood that candles may deliberately be left burning overnight (14 percent of those 18 to 34 and 10 percent of those 35 to 54 vs. 4 percent of those 55 or older).

According to NFPA’s most recent statistics, 41 percent of home candle fires start in the bedroom, resulting in a quarter of associated fire deaths. Eleven percent of the home candle fires start after someone falls asleep.

Here are additional findings in the survey:

1. Candles are used in the home by more than half of U.S. adults (55 percent).
2. Homes in which children are present are more likely to have a candle lit than homes in which no child is present (64 percent vs. 49 percent).
3. Younger adults are more likely to report using candles in their homes than those who are older (61 percent of those 18 to 34 and 65 percent of those 35 to 54 vs. 43 percent of those 55 and older).
4. Candles are used regularly by many adults: Three in 10 (30 percent) adults who use candles in their home report weekly use; and another 17 percent report using candles in their home on a daily basis.
5. Few adults (6 percent) who use candles in their home use candles less than once a year.
6. More than half (53 percent) of those with kids at home who use candles in their home use candles at least weekly.
7. Scent is the most popular reason by far that candles are used in the home (59 percent), with ambience or mood as the second most popular reason among adults who use candles at least once a year (18 percent).

NFPA’s public safety campaign and related materials concentrate on home use of candles, which represent a uniquely residential concern. According to the NFPA Home Candle Fires Report (2005), nine out of 10 reported U.S. candle fires occur in homes.

According to the survey, most U.S. adults who use candles at least once a year (92 percent) do not recall a fire starting in their homes.

While few who use candles at least once a year report that children use a candle without adult supervision even rarely (3 percent), 4 in 10 (40 percent) say a candle is left alone with no one watching it at least rarely.

NFPA offers these tips for safer use of candles in the home:

1. Always stay in the room where candles are being burned.
2. Keep lit candles at least one foot away from curtains, mattresses and anything that can burn.
3. Keep candles, matches and lighters away from children.
4. Use sturdy candle holders that won’t tip over or burn and are large enough to contain dripping wax.
5. Burn candles on sturdy, uncluttered surfaces.
6. Trim candle wicks to one-quarter inch before lighting.
7. When lighting candles, keep hair and clothing away from the flame.
8. Extinguish candles when they burn to within two inches of their holder.
9. Avoid using candles during a power outage. Have flashlights and batteries on hand for emergency lighting.
10. The best way to extinguish candles is with a snuffer or soft, directed breath. Be careful not to splatter wax when extinguishing.