Fire officials are warning people not to leave candles unattended, citing a structure fire late Wednesday afternoon that sent a resident to a hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.
Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District firefighters were called to the 7400 block of Chantilly Lane, in the Florin area, at 6:10 p.m. and found a rear bedroom engulfed in flames and fire extending down the hall, according to Metro Fire.
The homeowner, found outside the house, told firefighters that he was sleeping in the bedroom where the fire started. He suffered minor smoke inhalation and was taken to a hospital.
SAFETY TIPS
The Consumer Product Safety Commission and other safety experts offer the following safety tips regarding risks that often arise during colder weather and when there are fewer hours of sunlight:
• Don't use portable heaters or candles when unattended or if you are sleeping.
• Keep portable heaters, smoking materials and candles away from bedding, curtains or other combustibles.
• Keep lighters and matches out of the reach of children. And never leave a child alone where a candle is burning or space heater is on.
• Check the chimney and stovepipe during the heating season for creosote buildup and clean when necessary.
• Use only proper fuel in stove/fireplace.
• Keep combustibles such as curtains, chairs, firewood, etc., at least 3 feet away from any stove.
• Use a metal container with a tight-fitting lid for ash removal.
• Operate a portable electric heater at least 3 feet away from upholstered furniture, drapes, bedding and other combustible materials. It should only be set on the floor.
• Have your heating system, water heater and any other fuel-burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year.
• Wood stoves or fireplaces should be installed according to existing building codes and manufacturer's instructions.
• Install smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms on every level of your home, including the basement.
© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.
What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com
Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)
Here are some rules of the road:
• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "Report Abuse" link to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand.
• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
• Don't flag other users' comments just because you don't agree with their point of view. Please only flag comments that violate these guidelines.
You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "Report Abuse" link to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "Report Abuse" link below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.