Unattended candle sparks $325,000 house fire in North Carolina

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. - An unattended candle is to blame for a North Carolina house fire that caused $325,000 in damages. 

The backstory:

The Charlotte Fire Department said the blaze broke out on December 5. 

It took 45 minutes and 30 firefighters to control the fire. 

No injuries were reported. 

What's next:

The Charlotte Fire Investigation Task Force is currently investigating the cause of the fire.

Candle fire statistics

Why you should care:

National Fire Protection Association has released numbers related to candle fires: 

• Candles were the heat source for 2% of reported home fires, 2% of home fire deaths, 5% of home fire injuries, and 3% of the direct property damage in home fires.
• U.S. fire departments responded to an annual estimated average 5,894 home structure fires whose heat source was candles. These fires cause an annual average of 63 civilian deaths and 532 civilian injuries, as well as $286 million in property damage.
• Candles were the second leading heat source fires originating in bedrooms and the seventh leading heat source in fires originating in living rooms, as well as the sixth leading heat source in all home structure fires that resulted in civilian injuries.
• The rate of 90 injuries per 1,000 reported candle fires was nearly three times the rate for all home structure fire causes.
• Over Half of all candle fires started when a flammable piece of décor – such as furniture, mattresses, bedding, curtains, home decorations, paper, or clothing – was too close to the lit candle.
• In 21% of home structure candle fires, the candle was either left unattended, discarded, or otherwise misused.
• Over one-third of candle fires (36%) started in the bedroom. Sleep was a factor in 11% of home structure candle fires, 34% of candle fire deaths, and 17% of candle fire injuries.