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NNSL Photo

Yellowknife Fire Department Lieut. Darcy Hernblad holds up the bamboo holder that caused a fire in an apartment Feb. 22. - Jennifer McPhee/NNSL photo

Candle fires spark warning

Be careful when setting the mood, warns deputy fire chief

Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 07/03) - A Yellowknife woman woke up to find her mattress on fire Tuesday.

The fire, quickly extinguished by firefighters, started when the SunRidge Apartment resident fell asleep with a candle burning beside her bed.
NNSL Photo

Candle Safety

  • Keep candles out of drafts and away from furnishings and clothing.
  • If using more than one candle allow 10 centimetres (four inches) between each one.
  • Never burn a candle down into the holder.
  • Tealights and nightlights in foil containers need to be placed in fire proof holder as they can melt through plastic.
  • Never leave a burning candle in a child's bedroom.
  • Always put scented candles in a glass or metal holder as they liquify to release fragrance.


  • This was the second fire caused by candles recently. Two weeks earlier, another woman left a candle unwatched in a highly flammable bamboo candle holder.

    The bamboo ignited and the fire spread to the wall and bed in the Lundstrom Apartment unit.

    The woman, who was not in the bed, sustained minor injuries to her feet while trying to put out the fire.

    Given these two incidents, deputy Fire Chief Clem St. Croix is warning the public to be careful with candles.

    "If you want to set the mood, there's a time and a place," he said.

    "But when you turn your back on a candle anything can happen."

    He pointed out someone died a few years ago after a candle ignited curtains in a Kam Lake trailer.

    St. Croix said it's unwise to use candles in the bedroom, although he admits this is exactly where people like to "set the mood."

    However, he urged people to put candles in fire proof holders made of metal or glass, and away from combustibles such as curtains. Keep children and pets away from candles, he also stressed. And don't leave candles unwatched or let them burn down into the holder. Using candles recklessly in apartments means you're risking the lives of other tenants, he added.

    "These two incidents were in buildings where there were other apartments," he said. "It's a life safety threat."