Warning of candles after fire in Finaghy

Assistant Group Commander Kevin O'Neill issued the warning after a candle which had been initially snubbed out, reignited under a sink cupboard close to flammable material in a semi detached house at Lille Park.

The householder, a man in his 50's, was sleeping in a nearby room when he was awoken by the smoke alarm and he rang the fire brigade.

The man had earlier been using rags doused with turpentine and had left them under the sink close to the candle which had been lit earlier but seemed to have been extinguished but reignited.

Two appliances arrived at the scene around 12.50am and were able to extinguish the fire within minutes. The owner of the house required oxygen therapy which was administered by Fire and Rescue Service personnel until an ambulance arrived and took him to hospital.

Mr O'Neill said the incident showed the importance of ensuring candles were fully out.

"It is very important when lighting candles not to leave them unattended," he said. "The man believed he had put the candle out properly but the wick must have been still glowing and it ignited the rags which were filled with turpentine.

"People should make sure that candles are cold before they are put away.

"Candles have become popular recently, especially scented varieties which give a certain ambience to a room. But candles are still in the top five causes of fires and people must realise how dangerous these can be if they are left lit and unattended. We still deal with a lot of fires which are as a result of unattended candles."