A blaze erupted at a Mooikloof house on Thursday night, igniting a commotion and concern.
According to Ward councillor Malcolm De Klerk, no injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is suspected to be a candle.
Tshwane Emergency Services spokesperson Charles Mabaso said they received a notification about the fire at approximately 21:45.
“We were later informed that the fire had been extinguished, no firefighting resources were required, and dispatched resources were called back to base.”
He added that a Fire Safety officer has been assigned to investigate the cause of the fire.
SA Candle Supply reminded the public that candles are an open flame with the potential risk of fire-related accidents.
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Here are some precautions to stay safe when using candles when load-shedding occurs:
- Proximity: It is very important to burn your candle on a level, fire safe surface and at least 30cm from anything that can potentially set on fire. Ensure your candles are 10cm apart when burning so that they don’t melt each other, overheat the containers, and cause them to burn improperly.
- Never leave a burning candle unattended: Keep candles and families restricted to one room in the house whenever possible. This will help ensure that there is always someone to keep an eye on the burning candles. Make sure that you extinguish all candles before leaving the room or going to bed.
- Never light a candle if you smell gas: If you have a gas stove/heater/Geyser & you smell gas inside or outside your home, don’t light a candle or immediately extinguish any candles that you have burning. Make sure to shut off the gas supply, leave the house and get to a safe area. Call your local emergency line to make them aware.
- Never use a candle as a night light: Avoid walking around in the dark with a candle. Walking into a dark room with the small amount of light a candle produces increases your chances of tripping & falling. Never use your candle to look for items in a cupboard, you could set items on fire. Use a flashlight or lamp instead.
- Always keep candles out of reach of pets and children: Ensure to place candles out of the way to ensure that pets, children & adults don’t accidently bump candles over causing a fire.
- Always practice safe candle care: Make sure to trim the wick before lighting /relighting your candle.
- This includes:
- Never leave trimmed wicks and matches in the candles. This can cause a fire.
- Always burn a candle on an even, fire-safe surface.
- Don’t place candles in an area with a draft or close to curtains/blinds.
- Never leave burning candles close to plants, décor, fabrics, or paper
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