University of Colorado at Boulder fire safety officials are warning students about the dangers of lighting candles and other open-flame items and leaving them unattended.
Â鶹ÒùÔº, faculty and staff are prohibited from using candles and open-flame devices in residence halls and other campus buildings except in rare situations and only after obtaining a permit from the campus fire marshal.
"Candles start fires. If you light one, do not leave it unattended until you fully extinguish it," advised CU-Boulder Fire Marshal Mansour Alipour-Fard.
Fire safety statistics indicate that people tend to use candles more in winter and during end-of-year holidays. January is the peak month for residential fire deaths and injuries, according to a 2001 U.S. Fire Administration report. Each year, more than a half-million winter fires cause an estimated $3 billion in property losses, 1,900 deaths and nearly 8,000 injuries, the U.S.F.A. report indicates.
The holidays are over, but winter has settled in and campus officials want to make sure CU-Boulder students, faculty and staff get the message about candles and fire hazards.
Â鶹ÒùÔº, faculty and staff can use candles during theatrical performances or special ceremonies, but only if event planners obtain the proper permits, follow campus fire-code guidelines and light them in the presence of "fire watchers," or people trained to spot flare-ups.
Fire safety officials advise students living in off-campus housing to use candles and open-flame devices with extreme caution.
Sherry Kenyon, fire safety coordinator for Boulder Fire Rescue, said 87 CU-Boulder students living in off-campus housing have lost everything they own to fires over the past seven years. To raise awareness, she helps coordinate on-campus training sessions each fall that include up-close views of fire-charred televisions, stereos and other equipment burned in off-campus blazes.
"Most of those fires were caused by candles," Kenyon said. "Typically what happens is that people fall asleep or they leave the room."
Unfortunately, she added, most students living in rental properties do not carry renters' insurance, creating emotional and financial hardships for fire victims.
Alipour-Fard noted that candles caused fires for 38 out of 44 students who lost housing and property in Boulder between 2001 and 2005.
"Candles are responsible for approximately 10,000 residential fires per year in the United States. That's one fire every 52 minutes," he added.
According to the U.S.F.A., nearly half of all residential fires traced back to candles between 1994 and 1998 occurred in bedrooms (44.5 percent). The rest started in living rooms, family rooms or dens (18.6 percent); bathrooms (11.4 percent); and kitchens (7.2 percent.)
Federal statistics also indicate that 40 percent of these blazes occurred because residents left candles unattended. Nearly 20 percent occurred because a combustible item was placed too close to a candle.
For top tips on candle safety and more fire statistics, visit fm.colorado.edu/firesafety/candlesafety.html or nfirs.fema.gov/