Home decor · 홈데코 촛불 안전

Safer Candle Use at Home: Placement, Distance and Extinguishing

Use stable holders, keep flames away from combustibles and extinguish them before leaving the room.

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Wikimedia Commons · Photo: USER-62114 / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. Original unchanged photograph of a burning candle; this image does not demonstrate safe placement. · Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication ↗

Candles create ambiance but can start fires if tipped over or placed near combustible items. The U.S. Fire Administration recommends flameless candles as a safer alternative and keeping lit candles at least 12 inches (about 30 cm) from burnable materials. In a fire, prioritize alerting others and evacuation.

Your try-it-at-home checklist

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1. Consider battery-operated flameless candles instead of an open flame.
2. If using a flame, choose a sturdy holder and keep it where children and pets cannot knock it over.
3. Keep candles at least about 30 cm (12 inches) from curtains, paper, bedding and decorations.
4. Avoid lit candles in bedrooms, bathrooms and sleeping areas.
5. Extinguish every candle before leaving a room or home or going to sleep, and check that flames are out.
6. Use flashlights rather than candles in a power outage; if a fire starts, evacuate and call emergency services.

U.S. Fire AdministrationCandle Fire Safety ↗USFA original safety guidance reviewed: flameless option, stable holders, at least 12 inches clearance, no unattended candles, avoid sleeping rooms and use flashlights in outages.Wikimedia CommonsFile: Burning-candle.jpg ↗Original CC0-licensed file by USER-62114, direct upload.wikimedia.org original visibly rendered and author checked.Wikimedia CommonsCommons: Reusing content outside Wikimedia, technical guidance ↗Hotlinking is allowed by Commons, but does not waive per-file license and attribution, which must be separately verified.

Your try-it-at-home checklist

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