Well, at least I know that our smoke detector works!!

[SeaSpray]

I came home from work this afternoon and lit a few of my Yankee Candle large jar candles. They're on decorative plates, and have the matching decorative "lamp shades". I ALWAYS trim the wicks before I light them.

About an hour later, I heard the smoke alarm that's in the hallway between the livingroom and the bedrooms going off. At first I thought it was something on tv (I was in the family room at the time, but was walking through the house every few minutes putting away laundry, making dinner, etc. I never leave lit candles totally unattended).

When I realized that it was a smoke detector going off, I ran to the livingroom. DS19 was already there since he heard it immediately from his bedroom. He said that when he opened his bedroom door, he saw smoke, and then saw that the jar candle in the livingroom had a flame that was several inches HIGHER than the top of the ceramic shade! He extinguished the flame, and actually by the time I got there, you couldn't even see the smoke anymore. The detector must be very sensitive, which is good to know.

Never had this happen with a candle before! I've had this ceramic plate/shade set for a few years now, and the large jar candle is only about half-way gone. Does anyone have any idea why the flame would do this???

After it all cooled off I took the ceramic shade off and washed it with hot sudsy water, since a lot of soot had accumulated inside of it.

I wanted to post this as a PSA of sorts.... please be careful with your candles/fireplaces/etc, especially this time of year.

 

[mom2boys77]

Sooo glad you caught it! We lost our home last year to a fire and it was the most devastasting experience of my life. I'm a real pain in the butt now about checking our smoke detectors and making sure everyone I know does too. They absolutely save lives!

 

[C.Ann]

Wow! That's scary! So glad everything turned out okay.. I think that's one of the reasons my Dson-in-law prefers that I don't use candles here (the other being a cat that is constantly jumping up on things and knocking them over).. So instead, I (we) just use the more expensive scented sprays..

I do use candles at my place at the lake.. However, I am sitting in my recliner and the candle is in the middle of my large oak table (I have a one room kitchen/living area) - so it's always right in my view.. The table is always completely cleared off (because I'm terrified of fire to begin with) and the candle jar is never directly "on" the table - I set it on a small, round plate..

Love, love candles - but as your situation clearly shows, we have to be very mindful and careful with them..

 

[GeorgeG]

Glad everyone is okay. Smoke detectors are an absolute necessity in all homes.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Wow! That's scary! So glad everything turned out okay.. I think that's one of the reasons my Dson-in-law prefers that I don't use candles here (the other being a cat that is constantly jumping up on things and knocking them over).. So instead, I (we) just use the more expensive scented sprays..
:

Have you tried a candle warmer? they dont get that hot and still relese the scent. I had to go that way after my dumb male cat burned the fur off his face for the third time!

 

[SandrA9810]

I love my woodwick candles, but they do produce smoke when they burn. The first time I lit one of my candles here, the smoke detector in the bedroom never went off. But after blowing the candle out, the one in the hallway (on the other side of the closed door, and there's no air return vent) started going off. Which then set off the one in the living room. Since the ceiling is so high, I had to take the small box fan and hold it up as high as i could to the darn thing to make it stop. I think it went off for like 20 minutes before I was able to finally get it off.

The funny thing is, it's never gone off again after lighting the candle a half dozen times.