Rising Candle Use: Safety Concern?
Friday
News from the Real Estate Journal.com: "The growing popularity of scented and decorative candles as a chic and inexpensive design element is prompting fire safety concerns.
Safety and industry officials are weighing new labels and standards for candle accessories that would lay out warnings more clearly. And the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association has stepped up its campaign to warn homeowners and children about the potential dangers of candles.
'People look at candles and see how calming and pretty they are and sort of forget they are dealing with a potential fire hazard,' says Barbara Miller, spokeswoman for the National Candle Association, an industry group in Washington.
The number of fires sparked by home candles fell from 2003 to 2004 after climbing steadily from 1990 to 2001, according to the National Fire Protection Association. The fires prompted a public-awareness campaign by fire officials and the industry. But the popularity of specialty candles and continued house fires has safety officials and the industry focusing on new prevention efforts."
Labels: Fire Dangers, Fire Statistics
