Firefighters urge caution over candle use

We have issued a candle safety reminder after firefighters attended a house fire in Stoke-on-Trent recently.

We were called to an address on Meigh Road in Werrington just after 9.30pm on Friday (20 January) following reports of a fire in the conservatory of the property.

Three crews from Longton, Hanley and Sandyford were sent to the scene alongside colleagues from West Midlands Ambulance Service.

We used breathing apparatus and a hose reel jets to extinguish the fire and ventilation equipment to clear the building of excess smoke.

A woman suffered minor smoke inhalation and was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure for further checks.

Following an inspection, we believe that the fire was caused by accidental ignition from a candle.

Station Manager, Jonathan Jackson, said: “It’s really important you never leave candles unattended and keep them away from anything that could catch fire such as curtains, furniture or clothes.

"We recommend swapping traditional candles for LED flameless ones as they are much safer, but if you do use real candles, follow the simple safety tips shared on our website.”

Read more: Candle safety (staffordshirefire.gov.uk)