Gel Candles, Please READ

[Guest guest]

This has happened to a friend of mine. Please heed the warning.

This was sent to me so I am passing it on because I feel it is important news.

Subject: GEL CANDLES PLEASE READ

Janet sent this to me and all I can say is ‘yikes’. I had a had a gel

candle from Bath and Body Works and it got so hot it broke the jar to little

pieces. I know you like these, too, so here you go.

Beware . . . .

" My (not me) former secretary had a terrible thing happen to her and her

family last week, and I wanted to share it with all of you so that you could

be warned and warn your friends and family as well. She had a gel candle

burning in her bathroom ... it exploded and caught her house on fire. The

house burned to the ground and they lost everything. The fire marshal told

her that this is not the first incident where a gel candle has exploded and

caused a fire. He said that the gel builds up a gas and, often times, it

explodes and sets fire to the room it is in, which is what happened to her.

The fire was so hot it melted the smoke alarm, and they did not

discover the fire until there was an explosion, which was her toilet blowing

up, and then it was too late...the entire upstairs was engulfed in flames.

Smoke damage and water damage have destroyed what was not destroyed by

fire.

Please pass this along. I would not want this to happen to anyone else. Her

family is devastated. All their mementos and everything of value and meaning

are gone.

Thanks, and take care!

Note!: Marty and I know a lady who loves the gel candles. She had one

burning on her mantle and it caught fire just like the message above. She

was at home at the time, saw it happen, and grabbed the candle to keep it

from setting her home on fire. It came apart in her hand. She saved her

home, but suffered 3rd degree burns to her hand and 3 fingers.

Please - if you, or anyone you know, have these candles, do not light them.

They are dangerous. Please pass this along.

And, as if those two stories were not enough...My husband was home on

vacation and had a gel candle lit on the top of the entertainment center.

He, too, saw

the candle burst into flames. His first instinct was to blow the candle out.

Well, that did not work, so he blew harder....the gel from the candle

splattered and went everywhere. Everywhere included his face. He had 1st,

2nd and 3rd degree burns all over his face. The gel does not cool like wax

does, so the bits that were still on his face continued to burn him. You

cannot wipe the stuff off; it just rolls up and keeps burning.

Please do not use gel candles. Fortunately, his scars are not noticeable

now, but the " what ifs " are tremendous.

We had a similar experience. I had received as a gift a gel candle from

Avon. It was contained in a wine goblet, was sort of purple gel with glitter

in the gel. We had it on our dresser in the bedroom. Once, when it was

burning, the entire solid turned to liquid, and the glitter pieces " jumped "

randomly out of the wine glass, taking drops of gel with it, getting all

over the dresser and window curtain. A weird scene, to say the least.

Needless to say, I put the flame out and emptied the remaining liquefied gel

into the toilet.

This is definitely a forward that is a MUST!!