The U.S. Fire Administration has released findings of a study of fires caused by candles in structural residences. The report, developed by the USFA’s National Fire Data Center as part of its Topical Fire Research Series, estimates candles are responsible for 23,600 residential structure fires each year and cause 1,525 civilian injuries, 165 fatalities and $390 million in direct property loss.

Candle Fires in Residential Structures is based on data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System covering 2002 through 2004. The report examines the causes and characteristics of candle fires and discusses residential fire losses, seasonality of candle fires, items first ignited and area of origin, factors leading to candle fires, and product recalls, plus conclusions covering candle use during the past decade.

According to the report, women are more likely to be injured or killed in residential structure candle fires, and December has the highest occurrence of such fires. Over one-third of residential structure candle fires begin in a bedroom, and over half of all residential structure candle fires are started because the candle was placed too close to combustible materials.

A copy of the report in PDF format can be downloaded from the USFA, and other reports in this series may be downloaded from the USFA’s Topical Fire Research Series page.