A woman has issued a warning on social media after she tried to extinguish a fire caused by an wax burner in her home.
Jo Marie shared her story in the Family Lowdown Tips & Ideas Facebook group and urged other people to avoid making the same mistake.
"I had a wax burner on with an eight hour tea light. I was watching TV and heard a crack and saw the burner was in flames," she explained, before revealing the extent of the damage.
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"I stupidly ran and threw a big glass of water over it and the flames literally engulfed the ceiling."
Jo then revealed how she managed to put the flames out.
"Luckily I had my mum on the phone who told me to wet a towel and cover it and that worked," she wrote.
"Please don’t use eight hour tea lights and if it does catch fire do NOT throw water on it get a wet towel."
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Facebook users in the comments thanked Jo for sharing her warning and some even added their own similar stories.
“The same thing happened to me [years] ago,” one woman wrote. “Only I didn't chuck water over it as it was near the TV and didn't want to blow the TV up lol glad that was the only damage and that you were in the room as could of been a lot worse!”
Another woman said: “Thank you so much for sharing this as your first thought is to throw water and I would’ve have known if it wasn’t for you sharing this! I’m glad you’re okay but I’m also glad you shared to prevent this happening to anyone else!”
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Other Facebook users said their first instinct would be to throw water on the fire, which you should not do if there is oil present. “Yep, oil and water don't mix! Same concept as a kitchen fire, a damp towel or fire blanket should be used,” another commenter added. “Glad you're ok, and pleased to see you posting this for awareness, taking ownership and not blaming the company like so many posts I see online.”
While another concerned Facebook user shared: “You should never put an eight hour tea light in an oil burner you should only ever use the small three-four hour tea lights your lucky it could have been a lot worse I'm glad you're ok.”
You should never try to extinguish an oil or grease fire with water because it can cause the burning grease to splash and make the fire spread.
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When using candles and tea lights, be sure to fit them in a holder placed on a non-flammable surface. They shouldn’t be left unattended when burning and avoid moving them when they are alight or while the wax is molten.
Ceramic containers that are well ventilated are recommended to avoid the flame from flaring up.
Remember to check the packaging for your oil burner and tea light candles for further safety advice.
You can find out more on the Fire Service website here.
Featured Image Credit: Jo MarieTopics: Home