Emergency services’ district media liaison, William Ntladi says, “If not handled with extreme care, paraffin can act as an accelerant to fuel the fire, or if swallowed, it can be poisonous to human life, burn skin and in extreme cases it can be fatal.”
He offers the following safety tips that can be employed to ensure that such accidents do not occur and have disastrous consequences:
- Never leave the paraffin appliances unattended. “It only takes a second for a gust of wind, or pet or a child to knock over an appliance such as a light or stove,” he says.
- Appliances should be on a flat, firm and horizontal surface at all times.
- Don`t put clothes under paraffin appliances as a child or pet could pull the trailing end of the cloth and it could catch fire.
- Always have a bucket of sand or dry chemical powder (DCP) extinguisher nearby when using any paraffin appliance. This will be of assistance in the instance that a fire does occur.
- It is very important to note that water will not put out a paraffin fire but will make it worse by spreading the flames.
- Keep lighters and matches our of the reach of children and never keep paraffin near matches, lighters or lit paraffin appliances.
- Always refill the paraffin appliances before using them or refill while they are cold.
Ntladi cautions that people who reside with children should be even more careful to ensure that safety precautions are taken with regards to paraffin usage.
“Do not leave children unattended around paraffin and make sure they understand the dangers thereof,” he says.
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