In the Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare referred to them as "These blessed candles of the night."
Firefighters often refer to them as "blessed candles" also, but with a different spin on the word "blessed." Their reason was dramatically illustrated last Thursday when they demonstrated just how fast candle light can turn from romantic to ruinous.
Using an abandoned apartment at the vacated Hunting Tower, Alexandria Fire Department personnel allowed unattended and improperly positioned candles to ignite an entire room in less than six minutes. They also showed the vulnerability of clothing to an open flame.
"Most people just do not think where they are putting candles or how they are positioning them. A six to eight hour candle can burn down in 15 minutes if it's in a direct draft," said Robert Luckett, Chief Deputy Fire Marshall.
As part of the department's fire safety education effort, the volatility of candles was being highlighted to encourage people to use candles in a safe and responsible manner. From Oct. 4, 2001, to Feb. 11, 2002, four candle fires have caused more than $2.5 million in damage to Alexandria homes and businesses.
"The slightest ignition can cause the candle flame to flare," said Alexandria Fire Chief Thomas M. Hawkins. "The amount of candle caused fires over the past five months has been unusual."
The "burn room," on an upper floor of the building was furnished with a discarded television, couch, chair and stuffed toys. It also had three candles in various locations. Within 30 seconds the room was filled with black acrid smoke before the fire was extinguished by Alexandria firefighters.
RESPONSIBLE USE IS THE SECRET
Attending the demonstration was Suzanne C. McDuffee, President, The Candle Garden, with locations on Mount Vernon Avenue and King Street. "I'm here to represent my business and to encourage people to use candles responsibly."
McDuffee emphasized that, "99 percent of the fires caused by candles do not have to happen. We don't want people to use candles recklessly. You can have the dramatic affect of candle light without sacrificing safety."
She also noted, "Any candle will drip depending on the flow of air in the room. There is no such thing as a dripless candle. It depends on the environment in which it is being used."
Several safety tips emphasized by McDuffee were: 1. Always place a plate or other non flammable container under the candle; 2. Use the proper height candle stick. Often tall candles are placed in small holders and tip over; 3. Use what she described as "sticky stuff" to anchor the bottom of the candle to the holder unless it is on a spike.
The danger of candle fires is not limited to Alexandria, it is faced by all jurisdictions, according to recent statistics. One reason is that candles have become immensely popular with sales skyrocketing in recent years.
ROMANCE AND THERAPY
This was verified by Marianne McDermott, Executive Vice President, National Candle Association (NCA), based in Washington, DC. "The candle industry has roughly doubled in the last three years," she said.
"This has been driven not only by the popularity of candles for decorating and mood setting but also by the increase in aroma therapy. That's the use of fragrances to help people relax and become reflective," McDermott explained.
"It has also been a big boon for the association," she said. "We were established in 1974 and as of 10 years ago we only had about 25 members. Today our membership is over 200."
But she also conceded, "The candle boom seems to have leveled off. Sales have been flat for a while now."
Among the educational pieces being distributed by the fire department was one headed "Candles and Fire Safety" from NCA. It noted, "Unfortunately, people often forget that a lighted candle is an open flame and a potential fire hazard. As a result, candle fires are on the increase."
NCA supports the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in its effort to evaluate the safety of candles and candle products. Since 1994 the Commission has issued a series of recalls pertaining to candle products it has determined unsafe or faulty in some aspect.
FOUR CANDLE FIRES IN FIVE MONTHS
According to the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) "Candle fires reached a 19 year high of 12,540 in 1998, resulting in 157 deaths, 1,106 civilian injuries, and $176.1 million in property damage." That is the last year for which statistics are available.
As cited by Chief Hawkins, Alexandria has experienced four major candle related fires over the past five months. These were:
* October 6, 2001— 709 Tennessee Ave., candle left unattended on living room table, $600 damage;
* December 17, 2001— 1510 Orchard St., children carried lighted candle into bedroom causing beds to ignite, four people injured, $550,000 damage;
* December 19, 2001— 608 Oronoco St., candle left unattended on kitchen table, $25,000 damage; and
* February 11, 2002— 203 S. Union St., candle left unattended in bedroom, $2 million damage.
As summarized by Chief Deputy Fire Marshall Luckett last week, "It's not the candles. It's the people."