Fire officers today warned of the dangers of lighting candles in the home after a York family of four escaped injury in a house fire which had "all the makings of a tragedy."

The occupants, believed to be a woman and three children, all escaped without injury in the blaze at the semi-detached house in Greenwood Grove, Foxwood, which fire chiefs say was caused by children playing with candles.

Firefighters were called when neighbours were alerted by smoke alarms at the house. Fire, heat and smoke damage were caused to the lounge and there was severe smoke damage to the rest of the house.

"It is a miracle no-one was injured or killed," said Terry Glover, a spokesman for North Yorkshire Fire Brigade. "It had all the makings of a tragedy and shows the dangers of candles and the importance of smoke alarms."

Divisional Officer Robert Webb added: "The instances of people being injured or dying in fires caused by candles is becoming increasingly apparent."

He said if people use candles they can avoid causing a fire by taking a few commonsense steps:

Always use a proper candle holder and place it on a flat heat-resistant surface

Place the candles in a draught-free area away from curtains, furniture and

other flammable products

Never leave them unattended while they are alight.

A Government campaign warning of the dangers of candles was also launched before Christmas and a Home Office leaflet, Candles Are Special... So Take Special Care, was published in October containing simple fire safety advice to follow when using candles.

Pumps from York and Acomb attended the fire at 3pm yesterday afternoon.

The house, one of several hundred owned by the B&N Housing Association in the York area, was fitted with smoke alarms as standard.

A spokesman for the association said: "We encourage residents to check their smoke detectors regularly.

"We are delighted that the smoke detectors have alerted a family to imminent danger and that injury has been avoided."

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