Authorities in the UK have issued a safety warning to people everywhere, following a disturbing incident in the Colchester area this weekend.
A woman and her one-year-old baby found themselves trapped inside their own home when a fire broke out, sparked from a candle that had not been blown out properly.
According to a BBC report, the woman and her child were both upstairs and asleep when the fire broke out. The unidentified mother was awoken by the sound of the fire spreading along her stairs.
Thankfully, both mother and child were unharmed, and fire fighters responding to an emergency call managed to rescue them from an upstairs bedroom.
The fire is believed to have sparked from a candle in a scented oil burner that had not been fully blown out before the mother headed up to bed.
A fire officer who was on the scene sent a warning out to anyone using candles in their home, to ensure that they are fully extinguished before leaving them unsupervised.
Officer Ian Ryder said: “This fire could have had dire consequences. As this oil burner was on the stairs, it completely cut off their escape route…Make sure you use [candles] safely and always put them properly out before you go to bed.”
It’s a warning as old as time, but it certainly bears repeating.
