By KEN BRIDENSTINE
A four-year-old Orem boy learned the importance of fire safety after recently lighting his kitchen trash can on fire.
Andrew Hadlock used a candle in his living room to light an incense stick on fire while his mother was in the bathroom getting his sister ready for school.
After watching the stick burn, Andrew probably just wanted to throw it away, so he put it in the kitchen trash can, said Shelley Hadlock, Andrew's mother.
That is when the fire started.
'I was only out of the room for two or three minutes,' Shelley said. 'I walked into the kitchen and saw flames coming out of the garbage can. I got a cup of water and started pouring it on the fire as fast as I could.'
The fire department was never called to the residence, but Shelley took Andrew to the fire station on 300 E. 1000 South in Orem.
'I wanted the firemen to teach Andrew about the dangers of playing with fire,' Shelley said.
Dave Eckersley, Orem Fire Division spokesman, interviewed Andrew after the incident.
'A lot of the time the kids don't realize what the fire could have done. We showed him (Andrew) videos and talked with him,' Eckersley said. When he left here he had a lot better understanding of what could have happened.'
'Fire and matches are tools for grown-ups,' was Andrew's response when he was asked what he had learned from the interview.
Andrew's experience is not an isolated incident.
The latest statistics show that there were more home fires involving candles in 1995 than in the previous 15 years, according to a news release from the National Fire Protection Association.
In fact, in 1995 there were 8,400 candle fires which caused over $117.6 million in damage. Of those fires over 900 people reported injuries.
There are several tips for safe candle use in the home, according to the news release.
First, stay in the room where the candle is being used and blow it out when you leave the room. Never leave a candle burning while you are away from home and always keep burning candles away from walls, furniture and other combustible home decorations. Finally, never allow children to use candles without adult supervision.