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Candle in couch causes calamity
By adamg on Sat, 03/21/2009 - 2:17pm
Could have been worse, firefighters say of the triple-decker fire at 1672 Dorchester Ave.
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Comments
Oh my god...how STUPID and irresponsible can some people get?
Seriously, leaving a burning candle in the sofa overnight was way beyond stupid...and totally irresponsible, to boot. It's a good thing the fire department responded so quicklky and efficiently, or people would've been killed in that fire.
Did you read the article?
No, they wouldn't have been killed if the fire department hadn't responded so quicklky, because the people occupying the unit where the fire started tried to fight the fire, then got out when they couldn't, and they banged on the door and told the other neighbors to get out.
http://1smootshort.blogspot.com
Yes, I did read the article, and here's a question:
Why the hell did that person leave a candle burning overnight on her sofa in the first place? She acted totally irresponsibly.
something lost in translation
The article was so strange that I didn't take it at face value. I got the impression from the confusing way the article was written that either the reporter didn't have the story straight or there was some sort of translation confusion.
It seemed that a candle was left burning because a guest was sleeping in the living room, and the candle fell on the sofa.
Yeah, seems like details were left out
I consider myself a responsible person (and I grew up with a claims analyst for a parent, so I heard all about calculated risk and what sorts of things could result in horrible freak accidents), but I've certainly forgotten about lit candles. Granted the only type of candle I'd light if I weren't planning to sit right next to it would be a pillar-type candle that can't fall over and tends to drown itself after half an hour or so if you don't pour the wax off, or shabbat candles that are self-consuming. But still, I can see how someone could fall asleep with a candle going and roll over and have it tip over or have the cat knock it over or something. Or maybe it was an enclosed candle, like a yankme candle or similar, which could seem safe enough to burn on the arm of a couch until it overheated and broke the container.
http://1smootshort.blogspot.com
No, Bud Light!
I've always been totally freaky about fire, so I don't do the candle thing much at all - and the circumstances are always very controlled. I would never put one next to a sleeping person - but that's just me. Candles are sometimes the only thing people have at hand, and a lot of people don't have electricity right now.
When my husband's grandmother's senior housing complex had a series of power outages, we got her a set of touch activated lights that could be placed here and there to light up her whole apartment. She loved them - and put them in places where she needed more light anyway. She told her friends and neighbors, who directed their support systems to pick them up at IKEA, target, and costco. It just made me feel better to know that she wouldn't have to deal with candles (and now many of her neighbors don't, either). Very elderly people + power outage + fire doesn't seem like a particularly good mix.
In the event of a power outage,
I avoid the use of candles like the plague. A flashlight works for me. I turn it off before going to sleep, though.
How about using cheapie LED
How about using cheapie LED flameless candles that they sell at CVS if you want all the ambiance and none of the risk of traditional candles? Candles and triple-deckahs don't mix.
thanks, firefighters!
I was driving down Dot Ave yesterday, and passed by this place just before the fire trucks got there. Terrifying. The entire second story was a mass of flames. I could feel the heat through the car window. It could indeed have been worse. The Centre Bar next door is lucky to be standing.