VC Fire Department gives tips on candle and sprinkler safety

Candlelight can be beautiful but also deadly. A fire started by an unattended candle in a Camarillo apartment could have been a disaster, but the combination of a working smoke detector and a properly installed and maintained fire sprinkler system resulted in the early discovery of the fire and limited its spread.

The Ventura County Fire Department presents this information about candle and sprinkler safety.

Candles

•During 2004, an estimated 17,200 structure fires in homes were started by candles.

•These resulted in about 200 deaths, 1,540 injuries and almost $200 million in property damage.

•Of candle fires in the home, 38 percent began in the bedroom, resulting in 35 percent of candle fire-related deaths.

•More than half of the home candle fires involved combustible material too close to the candle. The candle was unattended or abandoned in 20 percent of the incidents, and children playing with

candles resulted

in 4 percent

of fires.

Automatic fire sprinklers

•Fire sprinklers have been available for more than 100 years, but many people don't realize they are available for use in homes, where 80 percent of all fire deaths occur.

•When sprinklers are properly installed and maintained, they reduce the chances of dying in a fire by as much as 75 percent and reduce the average property loss per fire by onehalf to two-thirds.

•Sprinklers are highly reliable.

•In 81 percent of fires covered by wetpipe sprinkler systems, only one or two heads were activated.

•Sprinklers are effective because they react quickly to reduce heat, flames and smoke.

Sprinkler myths

•Sprinklers rarely operate accidentally. Most accidental discharges occur when a sprinkler head is struck by an object.

•Cigar smoke or burnt toast cannot activate a sprinkler head, only the high temperature from a fire.

•All sprinklers do not activate at once, only the head closest to the fire. One sprinkler contains the fire 90 percent of the time. For more information, visit fire.countyofventura.org.