Many Connecticut residents will be resorting to an old-fashioned but effective source of illumination this week: Candles. The U.S. Fire Administration would rather you use another light source — a flashlight or battery-operated lantern, for instance. That's because 42 home candle fires are reported every day in this country, or more than 15,000 annually. Candle fires account for nearly 4 percent of all U.S. residential fires, reports the National Candle Association.
"Candles are something that are not exactly a fire marshal's best friend," said Jeff Boland, Cheshire's fire marshal. "They are definitely a fire hazard." The last accidental fire death in Cheshire, in 1999, was caused by an unattended candle, he said.