Popular Home Decor Item in Minnesota Can Explode When Wet

CAUTION! A video has resurfaced that shows the extreme danger of mixing water with an item that is in 7 out of 10 homes. The mixture can lead to an extremely large fire and cause severe burns.

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Important Safety Tip For Candle Consumers in Minnesota

One of the top gift ideas each year is candles. In fact, according to Market Growth Report, about 980 million candles are sold in the United States alone every year.

While many of us know and use candles for decor, relaxing, gifts, or to create a pleasant scent in our homes, there is one item you should never mix with those beloved candles.

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Caution - Here's Why You Should Never Use Water To Put Out A Candle

The leading cause of residential fires in the United States is cooking-related incidents. But according to the National Fire Protection Association, candles are also on the list of the top causes as well.

Every day, an average of 20 fires are reported in homes due to candles. Because of those house fires, 74 individuals die each year and 558 people receive injuries.

Trending a few years ago was a story by CBS about an unfortunate fire. An anchor of a station suffered serious burns from a house fire. The cause...a candle.

Photo by Rebecca Peterson-Hall on Unsplash

The anchor had a candle burning in her home and when the wax caught on fire again she did what a lot of us would do - she got a cup of water and poured it on. As she said in the video below, "Water puts out fire, right?". Sadly, that is not the case and as a result, she suffered severe burns from the incident.

What's the Best and Safest Way to Get Rid of a Flame on a Candle?

As we've learned through the video, NEVER add water to a burning candle. Here are a few other safer options though:

blow it out carefully
put a lid or a snuffer on the candle to eliminate the oxygen
for very small flames, baking soda has been known to be a popular pick. According to Scientific American, the oxygen that a fire needs to burn can be displaced by the baking soda. As long as the oxygen is removed from around the flame, the candle may go out. However, this is not always a reliable way to extinguish a flame.

Do you know of a tip that isn't well-known but could help save someone's life?

If you've got another tip that might help save the life of someone, please let me know! You can reach me on my Facebook page - Jessica On The Radio or send me an e-mail at jessica.williams@townsquaremedia.com. I'll check it out and it could be in one of my upcoming stories.

11 of the Most Devastating Weather Disasters in Minnesota Throughout The Years

We might be full of lakes and "nice" but Minnesota has had its fair share of horrible and nasty weather. Throughout the years we've had floods, fires, storms that have crushed stadium roofs flat, and tornadoes that have destroyed lives.

Gallery Credit: Jessica Williams

20 Items You Can Never Return to Walmart Stores

Before you hit that "Add to Cart" button or fill up your cart at Walmart, there are a few things that the big box store is selling that you will need to keep forever. Below are 20 items you can never return to a Walmart store. (And I'm really glad that a few of these are on the list!)

Gallery Credit: Jessica On The Radio