Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service is urging communities to take extra care when using candles and tea lights after fire crews attended an incident at Newtown this week.

On Wednesday night (03/08/2016), crews from Newtown attended a call in a property near the town.

The fire was extinguished before the arrival of the Fire Service.

A tea light without any fire resistant container had been left directly on top of a fridge and the heat from the metal tea light melted the fridge and started a fire.

Head of Response for North Powys Group Manager Steve Rowlands said,?‘Fortunately, the family had working smoke alarms that detected the fire in its early stages and alerted the family to the fire. The fire was quickly extinguished and no one was hurt. This could very easily have developed into a serious fire that would have undoubtedly put the family’s safety at real risk.’

Home Safety Manager Adrian Smith advises ‘On average, five fires are started a day in the UK by candles. The potential consequences are severe. Please follow these simple steps to reduce the chances of having a fire.

• Keep candles away from draughts, furniture or curtains

• Place candles on level surfaces so they won’t fall over

• Always place candles on a heat resistant surface or container

• Don’t lean across candles

• Use a ‘snuffer’ or a spoon to extinguish the flame

• If you’re going out, put it out!!