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Fire goes to two alarms in JP triple-decker

Fire scene. Photo by BFD.After the fire was knocked down. Photo by BFD.

An unattended candle started a two-alarm fire at 17 Glade Ave. that left 11 people homeless, the Boston Fire Department reports.

None of the residents was injured; one firefighter was taken to the hospital with chest pains. The department estimates the fire did $450,000 in damage.

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Comments

When will we get it that candles start fires? That candles may look pretty when you're having a party, but if you're going to drink, you might forget that there's a candle and it will be devastating?

The idiocy never ceases to amaze me. Between that and irresponsible cigarette smoking, the world may well end by 2012 as predicted.

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You mean I've been doing something wrong because I haven't YET managed to burn down my building with the candles I frequently light in my apartment?!? Oh dear, I'll get straight on that!

(/sarcasm)

Yes, candles can be used in an irresponsible manner which will lead to a fire. Given the relative infrequency of candle-started fires, and the number of candle-selling establishments (and by inference, the number of candles being lit), I'm going to assume that the majority of candle enjoyers are responsible.

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Don't worry jitterbug, I'm pretty sure the perp died in the blaze, along with 2 other pets. Pat yourself on the back and assure yourself of your superiority.

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Candles don't start fires - Cats do.

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I think there is something to what you are saying here, but it isn't an issue of idiocy so much as ignorance. People get so used to things like candles, ciggies, and grilling food that they don't realize how hazardous these things are - particularly in balloon-frame buildings that were slapped up pretty quickly and packed ten to an acre. Look at how many people around here will just fling a lit ciggy into the street without a second thought and you get the picture(in areas where fire is a peril, you get fined seriously for that).

I would agree that there needs to be some safety education around candles, cigarettes, and barbecue grilles as agents of destruction - like the van that the firefighters in our area park at events that engages people in fire safety awareness and escape tactics. I wouldn't judge people who lack the experience or awareness to realize just how dangerous their "everyday" behavior is, because that doesn't save lives and property.

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That mulch stuff is freaky dangerous! :) :)

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Again, mulch is something "everyday" that can be a hazard, yet few people recognize it as such. It isn't idiocy, but ignorance.

People who live in areas where there are large piles of organic matter (like silos or mulch piles or even grain elevators) don't have to be told about the fire risks. They usually know not to put the mulch pile near anything you value.

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Took the kidlet on a quick shopping run to the Hyde Park Shaw's last night. They had tons of bags of unnaturally colored mulch piled up next to the produce department. Pretty cheap, too, so I thought it might be fun to buy a couple bags and have a festive mulch fire in the fireplace.

Darn kid's growing up too fast - she told me what a dumb idea that would be.

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I should have said ignorance to start, as that's what I meant, so I'll own it.

But many fires ARE started by candles. And many are started by cigarettes. And people have been told. And they know. It's a cultivated ignorance in so many cases, which in my mind does = idiocy.

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I think maybe you're being a little to kind to people who start fires with candles or cigarettes. I best most people realize that both need to be used with proper care (don't smoke where you're likely to fall asleep, don't burn candles where a cat might get anywhere near it), but some just don't bother to exercise such care. This isn't ignorance (which could be a mitigating factor), but negligence.

You know what, you're right. These people are idiots. :)

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This isn't the place or time to judge. Have some charity for these families who have lost their homes. There are children who are homeless because of this fire. Your insinuations and insults are not going to change that.

So instead of talking about what people should do, why don't you ask yourselves what you could do to help educate about fire safety or how you could help your fellow community members recover from this devastating fire?

I'm so sick of all the negative, condescending do-nothings!

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