A pub in Ghent escaped disaster last year. CCTV pictures seem to show that a candle that had apparently gone out caught fire once again. Fortunately damage was limited. The landlords struggled to get their head around the incident and showed the fire service the CCTV pictures. Prevention officers advise against the use of candles, but the fire service wasn’t really able to establish the exact cause of the fire.
The incident happened at Café Congé in Ghent. When she arrived in the morning landlady Charlotte Frans noticed traces of a fire. An advertising panel had partly gone up in flames but damage was limited. The bar lady working the previous night confirmed that all the candles that had been burning were out when she left the premises. The landlady was faced with a mystery.
The CCTV pictures were shown to the fire service.
Experts say it’s very unlikely a candle that has gone out reignites but can’t provide a definitive answer as to the cause of the blaze because of insufficient pictures from all angles. “Further investigation would have been needed, but the fire service wasn’t called to the scene on the night of the fire or even the morning after” explains Björn Bryon of the Ghent fire service.
Candle policy has now been changed in the pub. At closing time all candles are stored in a fire secure area.
The fire services urges extreme caution with candles. Fire prevention officer Samson says only candles that meet European norms are safe: “They need to display a safety label with the codes EN 15493:2019 or EN 15494:2019”.
Samson also says candles should only be used under supervision: “Keep them away from children and pets. Place them further enough from each other and always erect. Never throw matches into the candle either as they can serve as a second wick. It’s better to use LED lights. That’s a lot safer”.
